Doomed Worthing church saved at the bell

Developers wanted to tear down Emmanuel Church, on the corner of Brougham Road and Chatham Road, and its adjacent church hall, to make way for an L-shaped block of 17 flats run by Worthing Homes.

The scheme was backed by Emmanuel's parent church, St George's Parish Church, in St George's Road.

Church warden David Roff said in August the sale of Emmanuel would be "a positive step" and that money raised from the sale would fund other projects.

But the plans sparked uproar from locals, with 66 letters of objection and two petitions, boasting a total of 164 signatures, being sent to the planning office.

At the planning committee meeting on Tuesday, three locals stood to speak against the plans, including 86-year-old Sybil Webb, the Deaconess of the church and a resident of Ham Road for almost 70 years.

She said the land Emmanuel was built on was left to the church in 1911 on the condition "it must only be used for the construction of a consecrated building".

She said the money collected over the following decades was the basis for the building of the Emmanuel church in 1976, adding: "The site was dedicated to God and left in trust to us. I believe it is holy ground."

The scheme was unanimously rejected by the committee, who agreed its size, appearance, lack of parking and traffic implications made it unsuitable.

Paul Moffatt, a Chatham Road resident who also spoke against the plans, said: "Everybody will be very pleased.

"There's an awful lot of support. I don't think anybody has accepted the plans for the new building."