A new place of worship for the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (PBCC) is coming to the Wokingham Borough.
A former depot at 19 Grovelands Road in Spencers Wood will be converted after plans were approved by Wokingham Borough Council.
The PBCC is a subset of Christian Evangelicalism and has been described by ex-members as a ‘cult’, which has strongly been denied by the organisation.
Founded in the 19th century, the PBCC makes a ‘commitment to only eat and drink with those with whom we celebrate the Lord’s Supper’, and maintains traditional, family-orientated practices and lifestyles.
The small one storey building is surrounded by homes on a residential street.
The church will also offer a local hall, but these will not be used for social functions.
Whilst no major external or internal works will be done, there will be minor works to repair and upgrade the building.
In Wokingham Borough Council’s approval notice, the authority ordered that there should be no more than four services per week and that they should last no longer than one hour.
Maximum attendance at the hall should not exceed 35 people, the decision further stated.
Some residents had raised concerns about the plans, arguing that it would increase traffic on the road during the week.
Describing it as a ‘quiet residential road’, the neighbour worried that the higher number of cars coming to the church would have a ‘negative effect’ on them.
Another resident argued that the application fundamentally changes the use profile of the building.
The new place of worship will join St Michaels and All Angels Church which serve the community in Spencers Wood.
