Planning permission to turn a property in Stevenage into a place of worship has been refused.
Restoration Life Ministries UK had wanted to turn currently vacant offices in Leyden Road, owned by industrial cleaning company Jardak Services, into a church, but Stevenage Borough Council has refused the change of use.
With an active membership in the area of approximately 30 to 50 people, Restoration Life Ministries UK said it wanted "to have a permanent building in the town to meet their worship needs", hoping the council could "adopt the view that a prospering and active community facility is more beneficial to the residents of Stevenage than a small, otherwise empty commercial building".
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However, the council said: "Given that the application site is protected for employment use, the proposal is contrary to the National Planning Policy Framework 2021, which seeks to support sustainable economic growth.
"The loss of employment premises is not considered to be justified, particularly as there is an identified need for more employment land for the borough, which would be exacerbated by the loss of this unit."
Hertfordshire County Council, as the highways authority, also raised concerns in respect of "parking accumulation and lack of verifiable method of reducing trips by car".
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