Andersons Creek Rd church to make way for massive housing development

A CHURCH will be demolished and surrounding land cleared to make way for a proposed $21 million housing estate of 60 two and three-storey dwellings in Andersons Creek Rd.

Manningham Uniting Church parishioners will no longer congregate at their Andersons Creek Rd house of worship after Sunday’s final service. Picture: Josie Hayden

A CHURCH will be demolished and surrounding land cleared to make way for a proposed $21 million housing estate of 60 two and three-storey dwellings in Andersons Creek Rd.

The Manningham Uniting Church will hold its final service at the Doncaster East church on Sunday to farewell the beloved house of worship.

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Plans for the development of the 12,660m2 block are being considered by Manningham Council officers.

The council’s city planning director Angelo Kourambas said further information was needed from the developer before the application could progress.

“Due to the application’s current status no dates have been set (for reporting to the council),” he said.

The church has been alternating Sunday morning services between the Andersons Creek Rd site and their venue in Westfield Drive, which they’ve also sold.

The Westfield Drive site will be cleared as part of the redevelopment of the Doncaster shopping centre but can be used for the foreseeable future.

The proceeds of both sales will go towards the church’s new worship and community centre planned for Templestowe.

The congregation was formed in 2012 when the Doncaster, Templestowe and Box Hill North churches merged.

Church administrative assistant Ruth Hodges said the Andersons Creek Rd site was opened in 1989 and was intended to be a “church at mission in the community”.

“This mission is continuing through the amalgamation with other local churches and the planned new worship and community centre in Templestowe, which will be an asset for church members and the community,” she said.

“People certainly feel sadness about leaving the building that had so many memories for them but also great excitement about the future in a new facility.”

It is hoped work on the new venue, in Wood St, will start before the end of the year, Ms Hodges said.