Following the survey and consultation into the needs of Northampton faith communities, the organisers of the study have released their Final Report which can be read here. My notes on the final consultation meeting can be read here.
As a summary, they agree that there are some faith communities, primarily Muslim and newer Christian groups who have a need for extra provision of places to meet. Most of the requirements are geographically constrained so an all-purpose city-centre location would not suffice.
They recommend the council produce a simplified guide into the planning procedures for places of worship or for adapting existing buildings to meet the need. They also recommend a list of currently available D1 properties – those which are already classed as institutional buildings (in some sense) and would therefore not require the same level of planning regarding change of use and would therefore, in many cases, be more appropriate for ease of conversion.
None of this gets us any closer to the community centre in St. Crispin’s but it may open the way for ease of planning for us in the future.
diary of a pioneer minister 