Church rebuild approved despite 'influx' concerns

Plans to rebuild a church hall have been approved despite a councillor's concerns it could mean a "mass influx of coaches delivering those wanting to pray".

Breckland Council's planning committee unanimously approved proposals from the Dereham Gospel Hall Trust to demolish its ageing hall and replace it with a modern facility.

The small mid-Norfolk church, which regularly hosts around 40 to 45 worshippers, said its current building was "run down" and inaccessible.

But councillors wondered if the new hall, which would be off Bush Lane in Etling Green, could cope if church attendance rose.

A 2024 Bible Society and YouGov report showed an increase in monthly church attendance from 8% in 2018 to 12% in 2024.

It found attendance among 18-24 year-olds had risen from 4% to 16%.

A British Social Attitudes survey however suggested a more nuanced picture.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Gordon Bambridge, a Conservative councillor, asked the church whether it would be able to cater for large numbers of new worshippers.

"Suppose you get an influx from these newly enlivened people.

"Will you turn them away or will you actually grow and how will you deal with that?" he said.

"Is the capacity to the entrance sufficient to take an increase in the number of regular congregants?"

Nigel Wilkin, a Conservative councillor who chaired the meeting, added: "The concern is in case there's a mass influx of coaches delivering those wanting to pray.

"The way things are at the moment, I think a lot of us need to start praying soon."

Despite the councillors' concerns, highway consultants said the rural site could safely accommodate additional traffic.

Twenty-three parking spaces are planned, along with a new access road which meets visibility standards on the B1147, where no accidents have been recorded.

A church representative told councillors it "wouldn't turn anyone away from wanting to come to our gospel preachings" and would "welcome anyone".

Alison Webb, also a Conservative councillor, who had visited the site, said: "It is in quite a state and it's not welcoming in terms of disability or young people.

"This is not an additional building, it's a replacement for a building that needs to be replaced as soon as possible."

The new single-storey hall will be lower than the current structure. It will have dark cladding to blend into the countryside and there will be new landscaping.

Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.