Plans approved for expansion project to build community hub at Stirling church

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Ambitious plans to expand a Raploch church and create a community hub atmosphere have been given the go-ahead.Stirling Council planners have conditionally approved the proposals for St Mark’s Church in Drip Road, which include extending and altering the existing church building and demolishing the existing hall building behind the site.The hall will be replaced with a new multi-purpose hall and landscaped garden areas.The vision for the project is to transform the church and wider site into a building that “enhances the health and well-being of local people, providing a safe space for the community to gather, share time, meet, interact, and make new relationships”.The proposed project brief includes: creation of new exterior design features; a new community break out space; new sharing kitchen where people can cook and eat together; a new space for local groups to meet and for celebrations, events, and other observances of community life; and a new space for services to be provided “in a safe, welcoming environment that enables more people, and people who are harder to reach, to access them”.The council’s transport development team had raised an issue with lack of accessible parking being provided on the site, however the planners said the community felt there was sufficient available and accessible spaces could be created on Menzies Drive via a Traffic Regulation Order.Bats were also found to be emerging from the northern part of the church hall with experts saying the building supported “a small non-maternity roost of common pipistrelles on a transient basis”.

A licence will be needed to carry out the development but the survey also detailed several mitigation and compensation measures to ensure no bats are harmed