Proposals to demolish and redevelop part of a Bexhill church have been turned down at appeal for a second time.
In a decision notice published on Monday (August 12), a planning inspector has dismissed an appeal connected with plans to demolish The Sanctuary of Beulah Baptist Church in Clifford Road and replace it with a new church building.
The application had been a revised version of plans which had been turned down by Rother District Council in 2021. The council had refused this initial scheme due to concerns about the loss of the original building (a non-designated heritage asset) and the “inadequate design quality” of its replacement.
A planning inspector only partly shared these concerns at the time, judging the demolition was acceptable but the design of the replacement was not.
The more recent application included a revised design, which the church argued should overcome the previous reasons for refusal. The church also reiterated its reasons for seeking the demolition, saying the existing building requires significant repairs and ongoing maintenance, which is “increasingly financially unviable.”
Rother District Council took a different view, however, refusing the revised scheme in October 2023 on the grounds that it would harm the character and appearance of the area as a result of “a lack of cohesive quality and design”.
The planning inspector shared this concern, saying the replacement building would not “contribute positively” to the area. In coming to this view, the inspector notes the materials and scale of the replacement building saying it would not “satisfactorily assimilate with the different parts of the existing building.”
The inspector had also raised concerns about the potential impact of the demolition on bats, a protected species, suggesting the church commission further surveys into the matter.
In light of their concerns, the inspector opted to dismiss the appeal.
For further information on the scheme, see application reference RR/2023/1498/P on the Rother District Council website.
