A bid to rebuild a South Ribble church has been blocked after one of its neighbours complained it could cost them their privacy. Bamber Bridge Pentecostal Church wants to demolish its existing base on Chorley Road and replace it with a new two-storey building.
However, South Ribble Borough Council planning officers rejected the proposal after concluding it would overlook a next door property – and also threatened to “dominate the street scene”. Although the church’s current home is a two-floor facility, the new building would have reached 10 metres at its tallest point and filled the entire width of the plot, which the authority said would make it “much larger in comparison” to the existing place of worship. It was also noted that many of the surrounding dwellings are bungalows.
The replacement church would have extended beyond the current building line on the street and been of a scale that would have made it “overbearing” – resulting in “a detrimental impact on the character and appearance of the area”, according to a report by planning chiefs. Amongst a trio of public objections to the plans was a concern from a neighbouring household that the new church was to feature windows directly facing their property on both floors.
The occupants noted that an existing first floor ‘dormer’ window was already a source of concern, because they had previously experienced churchgoers “look[ing] directly into our bedroom”. Planning officers noted that they could impose a condition requiring frosted glass in the side windows of the new building, but said that internal lighting would nevertheless still be visible.
One objector added that while they were pleased the popular church was so well attended, the proposed replacement was “too large for its location”. The Local Democracy Reporting Service attempted to contact Bamber Bridge Pentecostal Church for comment.
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