New church for Amesbury gets planning permission

The new church will be built on land next to the Bowman Centre

A new church to be built on land in Amesbury has been approved by Wiltshire Council.

The planning application for the building was put forward by Living Grace Ministry for land it owns next to The Bowman Centre on Shears Drive.

The faith group said it has seen its membership increase, particularly among people in the armed forces.

The application did draw objections from the local town council and some residents.

Natalee Stoner, the pastor of the Pentecostal church group, said she was "happy" planning permission had been granted.

"it's been quite a while, so we are in good spirits. It's been a tremendous effort from the team thus far" she added.

Mrs Stoner said the building is intended for community use such as social events and children's activities.

However, one commenter on the application said it was a "crazy idea" as the land is "pretty much the only bit of substantial greenery we have in the area".

Mrs Stoner said that as the land had been for sale that "whoever bought it could have put whatever they want on it as long as they got planning permission".

The church group included information on exactly where the building would go in the application.

The concerns from the town council included overdevelopment of the area, more traffic on busy roads and not enough parking.

Some locals left comments on the application saying they were worried about the loss of the green space, more noise and that there are already several churches in the town.

Ms Stoner said parking and noise had been considered and that was reflected in the fact the planning application had been granted.

The plan, which were originally sent to the council in 2021, includes a day-care nursery.

The Living Grace Ministry said it wants to form strong links with the local community and "offer a much-needed service to military families based in the area and expand the Christian fellowship of the group".

The first design was refused and has since been changed to appear less like a church and more like a community centre.

Living Grave Ministry said it was not sure when building work will start as it depended on the funds needed being in place.

Ms Stoner said the group was "enjoying the moment" will "take it one step at a time".

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