The Plymouth Brethren want to knock down a former school and build a gospel hall there.
The old Etchingham Primary School site has been empty since 2014, when the school moved to a new location in Etchingham Village. East Sussex County Council approved selling at auction in 2022.
Now, Beauharrow Gospel Hall Trust wants to demolish it and build a single storey church and three new homes.
Its planning application to Rother District Council, written by Andrew Beard Planning, says two services will be held there on average each week, and it won’t be used for social activities.
It will sit to the rear of the site on the slope, while the new houses would be built where the main school building now is.
It says: “The site has been previously heavily developed with active use and traffic generation, but the school was replaced in and the site has now become run down, in disrepair and a negative blight within the street scene.
“The intensity of use from the former primary school to a church will be significantly less. The church will be used for 3 hours per week maximum as a place of worship and will not be used for social activities or compete with the local village hall.
“The gospel hall is a place of worship for preachings and bible readings, and prayer and the PBCC is open for any of the general public to join.”
Details of a public consultation event about the plans held in October last year were also submitted.
Some people were very concerned it would lead to cars parked in the road – but the trust says it is confident this won’t happen as a car park with eight spaces will be included.
Others commented that the houses were too small, or too large, that their gardens would be too shady and concerns about building on part of the existing car park.
Beauharrow Gospel Hall Trust is part of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church and currently meets at the Meeting Hall in Beauharrow Road, St Leonards.
