In June 2005 the church
membership decided that the only sustainable way forward was to completely
demolish and rebuild.
The planned new building
provides a 40% increase in usable space, with a main hall capacity of over
200 people, six teaching and general purpose resource rooms and much
improved catering and storage capacity. Planning permission for the scheme
was secured in February 2006.
The purpose of this church building
reinstatement project is to create a new facility which will serve the
church’s burgeoning congregation and enable it to further develop its
community and social welfare work.
The provision of a new home
for Staplehurst Free Church will continue to improve the quality of life for
its present users of all ages and the community in general - a key objective
of the rebuilding project is to extend our capabilities for serving the
community.
The estimated cost of the new facility is
£1.4million. As of March 2008, over £314,000 has already been raised towards
this cost through the giving of church members, local fundraising
organisations, and grants and donations from 3rd party
organisations. A verbal offer of £225,000 from has been made by a bank which
is known to be supportive of such socially contributory projects.
