There has been a planning application for change of use for the Fords shop (currently Palfrey & Kemp) next door to St.Thomas Church to become a pub (NFDC application 95473). We have lodged an objection to this application for several reasons. In case you wish to do so too (in which case you must respond before 7th May 2010), or if you'd like to know why we have objected, here is our submission to NFDC:

We have grouped our objections below under the headings: Commercial, Logistical, Health and Safety, Nuisance and Cultural.

Commercial objections

There are plenty of pubs, restaurants and coffee shops in Lymington already, including 3 pubs within 300 yds of the site: Thomas Tripp, Fusion Inn, and King's Arms. Other nearby bars include Angel Inn, Stanwell House, King's Head, Graze, Ship Inn, and Borough Arms, all within 500 yds. Tollhouse Inn, Mayflower, Fisherman's Rest, White Hart and Chequers are all within easy reach.

Logistical objections

1) The site is on a busy junction, where possibly intoxicated pedestrians would have a serious impact on traffic flow. There is no possibility of putting in a safe road crossing at that point.

2) The site adjoins an important set of footpaths linking different parts of Lymington. Crowds spilling out of a pub would obstruct this important thoroughfare and make people even less likely to walk.

3) There is no provision for parking at the site, and existing parking is already under pressure.

Health and safety objections

1) There is no rear exit from the site other than a small gate into the churchyard owned by the church. We have allowed this to be an emergency exit for the existing shop but could not reasonably allow large numbers of people to use the exit as it leads directly into an area of recent memorials.

2) If the garden is used as a pub it seems likely that bottles and glasses etc will be thrown over the wall into the adjoining churchyard. As well as the danger of injury to passing pedestrians there is also the risk of flying glass when the grass is mown.

3) The frontage of the site adjoins a low wall and iron gates into the churchyard. These are likely to be used as a climbing frame by pub visitors.

Nuisance objections

1) Since people are not allowed to smoke on the premises they are likely to congregate outside, right next to a popular pedestrian thoroughfare.

2) The noise from the garden will be a nuisance for those who are tending memorials next to the wall.

3) There will be intrusive smells from cooking on the premises.

Cultural objections

1) The church and hall are used for many children's activities including the Tuesday crèche, dancing, and our Sunday worship “Family Time”. The footpath is used by many of the children walking to and from our two Primary schools. It is not appropriate for parents to have to bring their children right past a pub at a time when we are trying to discourage drinking.

2) A church and its churchyard are traditionally places of quiet and dignity in our culture, and the siting of a pub next door would be offensive to many people. We are particularly concerned about the many people, of all faiths and none, who attend weddings and funerals at St.Thomas and rightly expect them to be conducted in an appropriate manner and in an atmosphere of respect. There would be a particular issue on some of the great holy days in the church calendar such as Good Friday, which is marked by a three hour service of silence and meditation in the church, and by heated sporting exchanges in pubs. There is room for both but they are not good next door neighbours!

Summary

There is no need for any further drinking establishments in Lymington and, even if there were such a need, this would be a very bad location. Accordingly we ask that you reject this application.

This is the text of the Christian Comment I submitted for the Lymington Times of 15th October, 2009.

The following week's L.T. printed a lengthy letter of complaint from an elder of the local Jehovah's Witnesses, so I thought it would be good to make the original available:

Christian Comment

As this year marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his seminal work, 'On the Origin of Species', it is an excellent time to reflect on the natural world and our place within it. (It's also rather comforting to reflect that one can still make a such a contribution to the world at the age of 50!) Although some of the detail is unclear, it is now certain that all the complex life forms we see around us, including penguins, poppies, and people, evolved from microscopic common ancestors over the past four billion years or so. It's a truth about God's amazing creation which should make us stop and think. Not only are other human beings our brothers and sisters, but also all living creatures are our cousins. Our past is shared and our futures are interwoven – we all depend on one another, and this is the way God intended it to be. As St.Paul put it, “Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” Darwin helped us to see that those words apply not only to the Church of Christ, but to the whole created world.

Peter Salisbury, Vicar of Lymington