Pastor defends church development application

The pastor of a proposed church near Dayboro has defended a planning application that has attracted hundreds of objections.

Gary Levens told this week’s Moreton Bay Regional Council meeting many of the objections to plans to build a new church at King Scrub were based on rumour rather than the actual detail of the application by Dayboro Church Limited.

Speaking during the community comment section of the meeting, Mr Levens said he had met with councillors Darren Grimwade and Cath Tonks and Deputy Mayor Jodie Shipway to discuss the application and to “attempt to clarify some of the points in the application which seem to have caused alarm in our community and some of which seem to have been misunderstood”.

“The councillors thought it had brought clarification to them and suggested I bring it to the whole council.”

Sunday services

Mr Levens said that contrary to concerns the church would operate 12 hours a day, seven days a week, it would only open for one to three hours at a time and longer on Sundays.

“That’s just nothing like what we want,” he said.

“We will not operate like a business and weekday usage will not be full crowds, but more like five to 20 people gathered for Bible study or prayer meetings and full crowds will be on Sunday.”

Addressing community concerns about an illuminated sign mentioned in the planning application, Mr Levens said such a sign was never the church’s intention.

“Somehow the word ‘illuminated’ slipped through in the application and I want to state quite emphatically that the sign will simply be our name on a white background on the side of the building, not illuminated.

“That will clearly be withdrawn.”

No shops

Mr Levens said objections concerning a coffee or op shop on the site at 3449 Mount Mee Rd, King Scrub, were unfounded.

“These have never been included in our application and seem to have been part of a rumour that objectors have picked up on.

“There are no plans for any commercial operations from the church whatsoever.”

Mr Levens said objections relating to wedding receptions at the venue were similarly misguided.

“Our application mentions that the facility will be used from time to time for weddings.

“The objectors seem to interpret that as wedding receptions that endure noisily into the night hours.

“When we spoke about weddings, we referred simply to the religious ceremony that takes place inside the church during daylight hours and lasts usually for about an hour or so.

“Wedding receptions will take place somewhere else…but certainly not at the church site.”

Moreton Bay Regional Council chief executive officer Greg Chemello said the application was still under consideration by council officers and would be brought to a general meeting in the next few months.