The petition sought a faculty to demolish and replace a prefabricated church hall that had come to the end of its usable life. The church was a Grade II listed building, set in a conservation area, the assessment for which identified the hall as tending to detract from the setting of the church. The Victorian Society objected to the design of the proposed replacement hall as a missed opportunity to build an architect-designed building to complement the church. The deputy chancellor found that, while a bespoke building would have been welcome in an ideal world, the replacement was simple, functional and appropriate within the financial constraints of the parish. Applying the Duffield guidelines, as more recently applied in Re St John the Baptist, Penshurst [2015] WLR (D) 115, she noted that the siting of the new hall would cause no harm to the architectural or historical significance of the church or its setting; if anything, it would be an improvement on the dilapidated old hall. The missional purposes of the new hall were significant, enabling more space for church use and outreach, and providing a source of more secure income to help support other mission. Accordingly, the faculty was granted. [Catherine Shelley]
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