MEMBERS of the congregation at a church in St Lawrence clapped and cheered after gaining approval for revised plans to construct a community centre.
The Planning Committee voted unanimously to support a recommendation by planning officers to approve plans for the proposed “Hope Centre” at the Grade 1-listed St Matthew’s Church in Millbrook.
Originally built in 1840 and widely known as the “Glass Church”, St Matthew’s was extensively renovated in 1934 and is renowned for its interior, featuring glass work by French designer René Lalique.
The plans, originally submitted in March 2023 before being withdrawn and resubmitted on a smaller scale, will see the demolition of the existing church hall, built in 1954 and an adjacent cottage and vicarage, replacing these buildings with the community centre.
The two-storey structure will include a café, large auditorium for events and activities, meeting rooms, facilities for young people and dedicated spaces for support groups such as Dementia Jersey.
Reverend Phil Warren, vicar at St Matthew’s for the past 21 years, said the process to reach the meeting had been “lengthy, difficult and complex”, and that he hoped the scheme would be approved to allow the church to continue the many different types of community work.
“There is so much more work to do – there is a growing need for a place of safety and support,” he said.
Architect Mike Waddington said the demolition of the church hall would allow better views of the church, which is currently partially screened by the adjoining building (as pictured above), and continued the tradition of generosity from the Boot family, who funded the renovation and also provided the land for the adjacent Coronation Park.
The application was opposed by a transport official from the Infrastructure Department, who raised concerns about access to the site and insufficient parking.
Mr Warren said the church coped comfortably with a weekly attendance of around 150 people at its Sunday services and has recently hosted a funeral service attracting more than 200 mourners.
“I find it extraordinary that a last-minute report has been received [from Infrastructure] suggesting that we have a problem with car parking – we do not,” he said.
Several of the politicians ruling on the application expressed disappointment over the demolition of the granite vicarage and said they hoped some of the material would be reused.
Planning Committee chair Constable Philip Le Sueur said he was “uncomfortable” that the government had suggested that the applicants should part-fund a crossing for pedestrians and cyclists on Victoria Avenue, adding that he felt the community benefits of the scheme “trumped” other considerations.
All seven members taking part in the discussion voted in favour of the scheme, with Mr Le Sueur joined by fellow Constables Richard Honeycombe, Kevin Lewis and Marcus Troy, alongside Deputies Steve Ahier, Tom Coles and Alex Curtis.
