In 2016 full planning permission was granted for the remodelling of the church HGY/2016/1801
In 2017 Non Material changes were granted planning permission HGY/2017/2905
In 2018 Planning permission is being sought to modify the existing entrance in
Tetherdown HGY/2018/1407
This is in response to a posting on the ‘Nextdoor Muswell Hill North’ site
as well as other information, which has reached us.
First of all, to clarify the position, Muswell Hill URC has already received
planning permission (November 2016) for the plans to reconfigure the church.
This followed extensive public consultation including an open day and talks
with the council’s Conservation Areas officer and local residents’ leaders.
The latest application is to realign part of the external wall of the church on
the west end, facing Tetherdown, to bring it in line with the rest of the building.
When it is complete, the steps will be removed and replaced with a planted
area, which will flow through to the new garden area surrounding the new
Queens Avenue accessible entrance.
Several mistaken statements have been made within the last few days:
It has been suggested that we are intending to open a commercial café in
the “new” church. This is not true. The new kitchen and serving area will
replace the ones that were already in the church and will be used (as they
have for many years) by members of our church for refreshments, meals
and social events, and also by people from the community who rent spaces
in our building for meetings, clubs etc.
The 150-seater “venue” on the new upper floor will be a flexible space –
for large special church services, weddings, funerals, concerts, drama,
community meetings and such, all for community use. It will simply
replicate what has been done in the church for many years on the ground
floor!
The stained glass windows (of which there are 9) will be removed carefully,
repaired because they are in poor condition, and displayed in the church in l
ight boxes when the work is finished. Other valued features of the current
building are in storage to be reinstated when the project is complete.
The new glassed entrance lobby on the Queens Avenue side of the building,
along with the lift we are installing, will ensure that the whole building is
accessible to all – unlike the present stepped entrance in Tetherdown which
has made it necessary for the elderly, wheelchair users, parents with buggies
etc. to use the back door. The church believes this is not acceptable, as it
does not send out a very welcoming message!
Overall, our aim is to create a more accessible and welcoming church with
improved facilities to better serve the community in the 21st century. We
hope that this project will mark the beginning of a renewed relationship
between the church and the local community.
Elders / Trustees of Muswell Hill URC
1st June 2018
|
