Religious group plans new Ellon church hall
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A RELIGIOUS group has lodged plans to build a new church hall in Ellon in a bid to give members of its congregation a local place of worship.
The Jesmond Gospel Hall Trust submitted an application to Aberdeenshire Council in a bid to build the facility on Balmacassie Brae.
The site sits behind the town’s Tesco superstore and next to the household waste recycling centre.
It is also located just metres away from where the proposed McDonald’s drive-thru could be built.
The proposal has been lodged on behalf of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church.
It argues that there is a need for a new hall in Ellon to hold “specific services for which numbers must be strictly limited”.
Members of the church plan to use the facility to gather for Holy Communion and prayer.
Plymouth Brethren Christian Church say it is “essential” to have small gatherings of no more than 45 people as each member takes part in the service.
However, the hall will not be leased out for use by other organisations for social events.
While services would be held on Sunday mornings and Monday evenings, the hall would also be used for gospel preachings on Sunday afternoons.
Floor plans reveal the building will include a hall, foyer area, toilets and a room for cleaning facilities.
The site will also have 49 car park spaces for members of the congregation, including three disabled bays and an electric vehicle charging point.
If approved, the church would aim to open the hall to its members early next year.
A large number of the congregation already live in Ellon so making the decision to establish a new base in the town was easy.
The church had tried to find a suitable location in the town centre but had no success.
They considered establishing a base on the former academy site on Union Street, however it has been earmarked for new council offices and library.
Church leaders also looked at sites on Hospital Road and Craigs Road.
They even debated the former garage site on South Road, but scrapped this idea after plans to build flats there were recently approved.
A spokesman for the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church said the application comes “after many years of searching for a suitable location”.
“The site itself lies within the Balmacassie Commercial Estate and is currently vacant, offering no benefit to the Ellon community.
However, our proposals promise to enhance the appearance of this underutilised location with a sensitive design that reflects the local area’s character,” he explained.
The spokesman added: “As a mainstream Christian Church whose members live by values of care, charity and compassion, this new Gospel Hall also promises to play an important role in our extensive charitable efforts in the local area and across the region.
“Through the work of the Rapid Relief Team charity, volunteers from our Church have an established history of putting compassion into action to support local communities.
“This Gospel Hall represents an important opportunity to support these efforts as a place to effectively coordinate this charitable work.”
Plymouth Brethren Christian Church own the gospel hall on Balmedie’s Eigie Road.
Services will continue to be held there, including larger events such as weddings and burials.
It is believed that the new Ellon facility would be used in a similar way to Belhelvie church hall.
The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church was established in the early 19th Century and currently has over 50,000 members worldwide.
It has a presence in 100 locations across the globe and has more than 400 places of worship in the UK.
