Former Blackburn gym on Bank Top to become Potters House Church branch until Feb 2027 after council grants permission.
Colin Mclaren got the go-ahead and it will become a branch of Potters House Church. The church is based in the US and they have many churches in the UK.
Colin applied for the change in August and the council granted him a temporary permission. It lasts until February 17, 2027. They want to check the traffic impact.
Potters House Church is a “megachurch”. They have branches in Preston and Bolton and is an evangelical Christian group.
A planning officer wrote a report that supported the change with conditions. The gym has been empty for a while and they want to use this empty building.
The church will be open certain days. Monday to Friday it’s 6 pm to 8:30 pm, Saturday it’s 5:30 pm to 8 pm, and Sunday it’s 10 am to 7 pm.
The building has no parking, so people must use street parking. There is also a small car park behind the building.
The highway team is worried and say the street is already full. They do not think it can handle more traffic.
The council knows about the traffic concerns, but the old gym used street parking, too. Putting the building back in use is a good thing.
They agreed to a temporary permission that lasts for two years. This lets them monitor traffic and see how it affects the area.