District planners have said controversial plans to turn a barn in Bubbenhall into a religious building for the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church should be turned down.

Warwick District Council's (WDC) planning committee will next week discuss Bubbenhall Gospel Hall Trust's application to turn the former agricultural building on Pit Hill into a church.

The scheme has been met by widespread opposition, with Bubbenhall Parish Council joining 119 locals in objecting to the application.

A range of issues have been cited, including the location of the access road, the design being out of keeping with the area and the fact that the scheme will have "zero benefit to the village community".

And a report set to be discussed by councillors next Wednesday (November 8) has recommended planning permission be refused.

"The application has not provided any robust justification for why the proposed location is preferable over other, more sustainable ones within the district," it said. 

"And while it is understandable that members of Plymouth Brethren within Bubbenhall would prefer a meeting room in close proximity to their home, the wider benefits of this would be extremely limited and do not outweigh the fundamental concerns regarding the unsustainable location of the site or the lack of wider need for the facility within the community."

It added: "It is acknowledged that the proposal would meet the needs of a small section of the local community, and this would provide sustainability benefits. 

"However, these benefits are very limited in their extent and do not outweigh the wider concern with providing a new community facility in what would be an unsustainable location. 

"For this reason, the application merits refusal."

If approved, the application would see the partial demolition of the farm buildings, with a new entrance and canopy built.

Internally the building would be divided to create a new foyer, toilets and meeting hall for up to 150 people.

Meanwhile, space for 36 parking spaces would be created outside.

"The Bubbenhall Gospel Hall Trust has a specific local need for a community facility in the form of a small meeting room in Bubbenhall," the application said. 

"The trust uses a large sized meeting room in Baginton which is used throughout the week for larger meetings. 

"Affiliated trusts also own local meeting rooms such as that at Burton Green for weekly provision of smaller occasions where approximately 50 people will meet. 

"The local meeting room will be used for prayer, bible readings and assembly."

The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church was formed in the 19th century by Evangelical Protestants disillusioned by the Anglican Church.

See the full application here.