Consent sought for 'Kingdom Hall'

 

Consent sought for 'Kingdom Hall'

 

 

The Jehovah's Witnesses movement is planning to build a ''Kingdom Hall'' in Wanaka.

Through Auckland architect Grant Beazley, the organisation has applied for resource consent from the Queenstown Lakes District Council to build the hall on Balneaves Lane, opposite the Vetlife clinic.

A single-level, 210sq m building - 22m by 9.5m - is proposed, covering 5% of the 4000sq m site, along with 30 car parks and landscaping.

The building would house an auditorium seating 84 people, a foyer, meeting room, childcare area, bathrooms and storage facilities.

''Unlike a church, it is a place of learning, being more like a classroom for lectures and discussions,'' the application said.

The auditorium would be used for two-hour meetings on weeknights and Sundays.

It would not be used for social occasions or live music, other than for wedding ceremonies and funeral services associated with members, the application said.

There are 38 local members, with the number growing by about four each year.

To mitigate the noise of people's voices, recorded music and vehicles, a solid fence of at least 1.8m high would be built on the north and east boundaries of the site and the auditorium windows would be closed if music was playing after 8pm.

The site is one of nine rural residential sections on Balneaves Lane, some of which have houses on them, and the closest neighbour's boundary would be about 13m from the hall.

The hall would be clad with brick veneer in a natural earth colour, with a dark corrugated iron roof.

Consent is also sought for a wood and aluminium sign 2.5m wide and 0.8m high.

The council is yet to decide whether the application will be notified for public submissions.