595 Withers Rd, Rouse Hill: Rivergum Community Church lodges application to build place of worship

A Christian church established 25 years ago is hoping to build a new place of worship on an industrial site for its followers to “come together” in western Sydney.

What the site looked like in May this year. Picture: Google Maps

A Christian church established 25 years ago is hoping to build a new place of worship on an industrial site in western Sydney.

Rivergum Community Church, which has been around since December 1999, has lodged a development application with the Hills Shire Council, seeking consent to construct a place of worship at 595 Withers Rd, Rouse Hill.

The proposal outlines plans to build the new facility in an industrial estate, on land currently occupied by two industrial units.

Plans outline turning the units into an auditorium with capacity for 140 people, a servery, a play area, children’s and parents’ rooms, administration spaces and a cafe.

One of the driving factors behind the plan is the church’s desire to provide a place where the community can socialise.

An aerial view of the proposed site. Picture: Hills Shire Council

“The proposal will provide a place where the community can come together and socialise in a location with high accessibility to essential services, recreational areas, and public transportation, fostering a sense of community and enhancing overall wellbeing,” the plans state.

“The proposal will provide additional social and cultural infrastructure in a region that is currently experiencing growth, ensuring that the expanding population has access to

necessary facilities and services and quality opportunities for leisure, cultural and educational activities.”

The church would have varying hours, opening as early as 8am and closing as late as 10pm.

An acoustic report compiled for the proposed church made recommendations to help it minimise noise, given there are homes and other industrial units nearby.

Detailed plans showing the internal layout of the proposed church. Picture: Hills Shire Council

These include the doors to the play area and auditorium being closed when the areas are in use, and signs being posted at entrances and exits to remind people to “minimise noise”.

There are no plans to build additional spaces for cars or make changes to other industrial units on the site.

This is primarily because 13 car spots are already assigned to the two industrial units, while seven more allocated to a nearby one are also expected to be acquired.

“The church is expected to seek formal approval from neighbouring tenancies within the industrial estate to rely on the use of other tenancy parking spaces within the wider estate on Sunday morning between 9am (and) 11am,” a traffic report states.