An application has been made to establish a place of worship in a Sunshine Coast rural residential neighbourhood.
Nambour Gospel Trust No.2 has applied to Sunshine Coast Council to use an existing house on 0.5ha in Ballantyne Court, Glenview, for worship for the Plymouth Brethren.
The Plymouth Brethren, which originated in Ireland about 200 years ago, is a Christian-based movement that some also refer to as the “Exclusive Brethren”.
The Plymouth Brethren website says members are born into the movement but live and work in the community, with many running their own businesses.
Members believe sharing a meal with someone is an act of fellowship so do not eat or drink with anyone outside the Brethren and come together every Sunday for the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion.
The website says the Plymouth Brethren’s churches are not adorned with crosses or other religious insignia because their focus is on morals and values.
A planning report lodged with the application for the proposed Ballantyne Court place of worship says about 30-35 local Plymouth Brethren members would attend supper at 6am every Sunday and a prayer group would meet for about 25 minutes on Monday evenings.
It says premises at Webster Road, Nambour; Hill Street, Woombye; Palmwoods-Montville Road, Palmwoods, and Perwillowen Road, Nambour, operate the same way.
The report says the Ballantyne Court premises could also provide occasional housing for community members as required and be used for the Brethren’s Rapid Relief program, which, among other things, helps the homeless and feeds first responders during emergencies.
“As the incomplete list above demonstrates, the place of worship will provide a significant community benefit,” it says.
Plans show parking would be provided for seven vehicles at the end of a long driveway and existing vegetation would form part of a buffer at the front.
An acoustic report submitted with the application noted that activities would include singing but no playing of musical instruments or amplified music, and the gathering of people upon arrival or departure would likely be indoors or in the centre of the site.
The report said that a 1.8m acoustic barrier fence and 2m wide landscaped buffer strips along residential boundaries would keep noise to acceptable levels.
The planning report says the proposed use “does not offend the intent and purpose of the rural residential area and complements the range of business and community uses in the local area”.
Besides housing, Ballantyne Court has eco-cabins, Opals Down Under and a turf farm.
The application for the place of worship is currently open for public submissions until October 14.
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