Church rebuild that would ‘dominate street’ blocked

A bid to rebuild a church has been blocked after one of its neighbours complained it could cost them their privacy.

Bamber Bridge Pentecostal Church wanted to demolish its existing base on Chorley Road and replace it with a new two-storey building which would have been 32ft (10m) at its highest point.

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”.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service attempted to contact Bamber Bridge Pentecostal Church for comment.

Although the church’s current home is a two-floor facility, the new building would have filled the entire width of the plot, which the authority said would make it “much larger” in comparison with 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 have 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.

Among three public objections to the plans were concerns the new church was to feature windows directly looking into a neighbour’s home.

The objector said they had previously seen churchgoers looking “directly into our bedroom” from the building’s first floor dormer window.

Planning officers said 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.

Another objector added that while they were pleased the popular church was so well attended, the proposed replacement was “too large for its location”.