Plans submitted for a gospel hall
PROPOSALS that could see a gospel hall created in Pinhoe have been submitted.
The Exeter and Honiton Gospel Trust is behind the scheme, which is currently being considered by East Devon District Council.
It concerns land off Langaton Lane and would serve as a small meeting hall for Brethren members living in the east of Exeter.
Associate director Chris Rose said: "It will be solely used for public Christian worship. It will not be let out or used for other purposes and there is no musical accompaniment.
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"Brethren's gospel halls are considered to be sacred and as such are not used for other social or recreational activities."
The applications revealed that the hall would be accessed from Langaton Lane and is for a single-storey building measuring 15m by 9.5m, with 14 car parking spaces. It will also have a lobby and toilets.
"Attendance is expected to be around 35 to 40 people," said Mr Rose, "Its use will be around 10 hours within a seven-day period and during the remainder of the week the site will be closed and secured.
"Services will be held on Sunday at 6am, weekly, on Monday at 6.30pm, weekly, on Sunday at 3pm, possibly once every eight weeks, and on Friday at 7.15pm, possibly once every eight weeks."
The Brethren organisation is a gospel-based church open to all members of the public. It operates at a Christian community in which families can be supported and nurtured.
Mr Rose added: "They rely on assembling to support their prime life objectives of Christian worship, faith, fellowship, teaching and social values.
"Such needs require a suitable place for assembly to be fulfilled. In the immediate area, there is the current hall on the corner of Littletown Road and Lower Brand Lane in Honiton and a larger hall in Cullompton. It is the Honiton hall that is now located too far from the congregation in Pinhoe.
"The congregation have relocated to Exeter over the past few years, partly to be closer to work and the city, but also because it is more convenient to access the main hall at Cullompton."
The Brethren have been looking for somewhere to relocate to since 2003 and the trust believes that the Pinhoe site is the only one that is suitable and available.
"Despite a thorough, extensive and lengthy site search, the trust has been unable to find a site in a sustainable and sequentially preferable location to the one in this application," said Mr Rose, "It meets our current, urgent needs, will not have a detrimental effect on ecology. It is considered that there are no impediments to development and, as such, it should be considered worthy of the grant of planning permission."
Neighbours are being consulted, with Exeter City Council acting as a consultee. A decision will be made later this year.
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