Werribee Karen Baptist Community wins fight to build church at Little River
A new baptist church will have the You Yangs as a back drop despite originally being knocked back by City Hall.
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A new-million dollar church in Little River has been given the green light despite originally being knocked back by City Hall.
The Werribee Karen Baptist Community has won its fight to build a place of worship at 10 You Yangs Rd after the Victoria Civil Administrative Tribunal ruled in its favour earlier this month.
The City of Greater Geelong had refused a planning application last year on a number of grounds, including that the development did not meet farming zone requirements and key strategies for protecting agricultural land.
However, VCAT deemed the 2ha site appropriate for a church, with the land considered too small for viable agricultural use.
The land, already home to a single-storey dwelling, would also see increased agricultural activity through a planned market, while limited Sunday church services would cause minimal conflict with neighbouring properties.
The WKBC, currently based in Werribee, is expected to shift its operations to Little River following the decision.
A low-scale and modest-sized building with generous setbacks would be screened from surroundings by established vegetations, documents stated.
It could be capable of hosting 250 church members, predominantly on a Sunday.
The township of Little River is located approximately 2.8km to the east of the proposed church, with Lara located approximately 4.8km to the south of the site.
The Karen community is a large ethnic group from the war-torn country of Myanmar.
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Originally published as Werribee Karen Baptist Community wins fight to build church at Little River
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