Berkhamsted residents are continuing to state their opposition to plans for a new church building on Kings Road.
A proposal has been in the works since January of this year for the current church on the site to be demolished and replaced with a new building.
For many, the plans have proved to be controversial. At the time of writing, 255 comments have been left on Dacorum Borough Council’s planning portal page for the application, many of them objections.
Matthew Plummer, a resident who lives directly opposite the church, is deeply opposed to the plans. He states that the building would negatively impact the light in his garden and cause major disruption.
Speaking to Berkhamsted News, Matthew said: “They [the church] haven’t really addressed any of the issues we’ve had. I think a lot of the town is opposed to it, and they’re just ignoring that.
“Most of the support comes from people who don’t live in the town. If they want to build something great for Berkhamsted, do it on the outskirts.”
The application has now been revised; while the original plans included a four-storey building, a three-storey building is now proposed.
Sue Gorst, pastor of the church, said: “We are committed to allaying concerns and therefore held two events recently to discuss our revised plans, as well as developing a website so that we can provide information online. I have personally offered to speak to any individual or organisation who wasn’t able to attend the events.
“Since the initial plans were submitted, we have made significant progress to ensure that comments and concerns have been taken into account and that the people of our town feel listened to. The new three-storey building plans include a reduction of overall building size and volume, a reduction of full floors from four to three, enhanced vehicle access, and reports to address other stated concerns.
“For further information online, please go to our website.”
Photo Credit: Kirkland Fraser Moor
This building design is just one big block of bricks. It is quite ugly and not at all in keeping with the traditional buildings in and around Berkhamsted.