A PARISH council is concerned over plans to build a new office building next to a Grade I listed church.

The Oxford Diocese wants to build a single storey office building at the Rectory, on Englefield Road, Theale. 

But Theale Parish Council is concerned about the impact on the Grade I listed Holy Trinity Church and the Grade II listed Old Rectory. The parish also felt the diocese could look into using vacant office accommodation, like the old school building. 

The church doesn’t currently have proper toilet and kitchen facilities, nor running water. It also has issues with heating, all of which would be helped by the new office building. 

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Matthew Shepherd, senior planning officer at West Berkshire Council, recommended granting permission for the plans. 

In a report to the council’s eastern area planning committee, he said: “The diocese requires an area administration office to assist and support their work within the community, as well as provide working space for visiting clergy. 

“The Parochial Church Council and Rector of Theale’s Holy Trinity Church have required for some time more suitable offices and a meeting space which currently are inadequately provided within the church itself on an ad hoc basis. 

“The provision of office and meeting space for the church to conduct its business has a clear public benefit. Alternative locations in Theale have been considered and no space has been successfully found.”

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The council received ten letters from the public, all who supported the plans. The letters said the design is environmentally friendly, aesthetically pleasing, and would help the church serve the people of Theale. 

Olivia Graham, who sent in a letter, said: “The church is a Grade I listed building and it is not possible to provide space within it for children and youth work, parish meetings, administration, and community provision for the parish.

“This building would enable all of these things to happen.” 

Margaret Elliot, who also sent in a letter, said: “As a church warden at Holy Trinity, I can say that we have a desperate need for the kitchen, toilet, meeting room facilities; which this building would give us.

“We have been without these facilities for approximately 40 years — mainly due to lack of funds — which makes any work or events at the church extremely challenging, if not impossible.

“We are working very hard to keep the church as part of the community here in Theale, but the restrictions of a church built 187 years ago present almost insurmountable problems.

“This new build would be an amazing asset in many, many ways.” 

Councillors on the eastern area planning committee will decide whether to grant or refuse planning permission at a public meeting on November 20.