Doubts have been expressed about the purported size of a new place of worship that the Plymouth Brethren Church wants to build on the countryside on the edge of Blunsdon.

A precise number of worshippers the church might hold is not included in the documents submitted by the church, but when the matter came to Swindon Borough Council’s planning committee in February the planning officer estimated the number at 400 people.

Local ward councillor Steve Weisinger said it would be used by about 500 people and residents opposing the proposal made a higher estimate of between 800 and 1,200.  

Now one clue has been provided by a similarly designed Plymouth Brethren Church near Bristol.

A floor plan for a church which was built for the Brethren in Almondsbury, Bristol and the supporting document which went with it says it will “accommodate up to 1,156 people for a “Fellowship Meeting” although this would normally only occur once or twice annually. In order to accommodate this capacity, a building with a footprint of 1,686 square metres is required.“

The Blunsdon proposal would have a floor space of 1,483 square metres.  

Using the same ratio of square metres per person as the Bristol application, that suggests the Blunsdon church would be able to hold just over 1,000 people.  

Also, the layout drawings of the main worship space are very similar with 11 rows of seating around the central preaching space in Bristol and 10 in the plans for Blunsdon.  

Another church had asked for a car park with 166 car parking spaces.   

The Church says the spaces are standard size. The plans submitted show all 166 spaces would be five metres long by three metres wide.  

The British Parking Association said in 2016: “The current UK norm for parking spaces is 2.4 metres wide by 4.8 metres long.”  

If an average of three people use a vehicle, then 166 spaces accommodate 498 people.  But if that average rises to six, then that would mean 996 worshippers.  

A spokesperson for the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church said: “Our church has been present in Swindon for over 160 years, with members taking an active role to support the local community underpinned by our core values of care, charity and compassion. There is a longstanding need for a place of worship in the area, which we seek to meet through a new Gospel Hall in Blunsdon, where many of our local members live and work.  

 “The new hall would principally serve our congregation in Blunsdon, and on occasional weekends accommodate up to 350 people outside of peak traffic times. Common for community spaces, the new Hall could be used for larger events on rare occasions, but this would not be its primary purpose.   

“Attendees would be served by 161 car parking spaces, almost all of which are of standard size.   

 “Working with the council and the local community, our plans have been developed to respond to concerns from residents in the area, which would have a minimal impact on local roads and also contribute to the Great Western Community Forest. Given this significant consultation and firm support from planning officers, we are disappointed by the planning committee’s decision to refuse our application.  

 “While we respect the committee’s decision, we are now exploring what next steps we can take to best support our Church’s membership in Blunsdon to have a much-needed place of worship.”  

After a lengthy debate members of the council's planning committee voted to refuse consent, delighting opponents of the scheme who had packed the public gallery but disappointing supporters who had similarly filled at least half the chamber.