This morning I went into the planning office. A member of the planning team covering the Rye area said the Andrews Church of Fruitful Alliance development covers a very large area as car parking is required for several hundred cars!
She also said unless councilors made representation to the planning officers it was likely consent would be given under devolved powers without going to planning committee. The project has the backing of central government through DEFRA.
Apparently a number of these meeting halls are being built around the UK, including Wye near Ashford, and Ferring in West Sussex. The Andrews Church of Fruitful Alliance is a interdenominational church with members from almost every religion you can think off and the government sees the church as a way of bringing peoples of different religions and life styles together.
I have not lived in Rye for very long but I would hate to see Rye Bay covered in carparks and huge buildings. What will become of the wildlife that my wife and I now spend many hours each Sunday observing?
Coming from a religous family as I do, my father was a Captain in the Salvation Army, I fully support the building of an interdenominational church BUT NOT AT RYE BAY.
