Plymouth Brethren fights to establish fifth church in Kyneton

A leader of a regional Victorian chapter of the controversial Plymouth Brethren Christian Church says he is "surprised" by a recommendation to deny them planning permission to build a fifth local church.

Documents show the church, through the applicant Kyneton Gospel Trust, wants to build a church for 45 of its members in a housing development at Kyneton, 87 kilometres north-west of Melbourne.

But Macedon Ranges Shire Council said the church was not suitable for the low-density housing area.

Kyneton Gospel Trust trustee Brian Edmonds said until now, the group had never had to "go through this much planning" to build a place of worship.

He said the Brethren had been in Kyneton for more than 130 years, with a congregation of more than 160 people.

"If you spoke to our non-community staff members, they would say there is a misperception of the church,"

he said.

"I don't think they would have a bad word to say.

"We employ more than 200 non-community members across the Macedon Ranges."

The council has received 23 letters of support for the new church, and no written objections.

Mr Edmonds said neighbours supported it.

"Our goal is to continue to live and worship in the region in buildings that blend in with our surroundings and are a subtle addition to the street," he said.

"We have proposed strict protections to reduce any impacts on our neighbours, such as a self-imposed restriction to only use our prayer meeting room twice a week for less than an hour each. Additionally, the prayer meeting room would only be used by locals who already live nearby."

He said the new place of worship would be more convenient for those members who had moved to Tilwinda Estate.

In a statement, an advisor for the Brethren said they would continue to hold larger congregations at their Ebden Street church.

Church 'out of character', council says

In its recommendation to councillors, Macedon Ranges Shire Council said the church's proposal had "not adequately demonstrated" the character of the area would be maintained or enhanced.

But council acknowledged submissions in support.

"Supporters also commented positively on the proposed location, scale and design of the development and its integration within the surrounding area," director of planning and environment Rebecca Stockfield said.

Online records show the land was last sold in 2021 for about $1 million.

In recent years, the church has denied paying influencers to harass election candidates and intimidating former members who left the church.

Public records show the registered charity Kyneton Gospel Trust was established in 1974 and registered in 2012.

The plans for a new Kyneton church also follow the 2020 Mount Alexander Shire Council rejection of a large Brethren church in Castlemaine.

Residents there opposed the development's size and scale, which included 160 car parks and the construction of a "warehouse-shaped" church.

However, in the Kyneton proposal, Plymouth Brethren Christian Church said the church would only operate for a little more than an hour from 5:45am on Sunday, and for 45 minutes from 6:45am on Monday.

The recommendation to deny the church a permit will go before councillors tonight.