Locks Heath Free Church is to make a second bid to build a 500-seat auditorium as part of a £4m extension to its current church building.
Senior Minister Mark Madavan in the field alongside Locks Heath Free Church which has been bought for the extension
The church will hold two open days in June for people to view and comment on the new plans – which will include extra on-site car parking rather than an overflow car park in Hunts Pond Road.
Two weeks later church ministers will submit a planning application to Fareham Borough Council, which senior pastor Mark Madavan said addresses the issues which previously led to their first application being refused.
“We still have a real need for space in our church so we’ve tried to deal directly with the issues,” said Mr Madavan.
“The council felt there was not enough on-site parking. We’ve acquired 155 more spaces on site.
“They felt it was the wrong use of land. We’re making it clear it’s a church and have applied for classification D1, church. What we plan to do in the church will be the same as what we do currently.
“We’re focusing on the 800-plus people using the building with various activities, and want to continue to enhance the lives of the community. It is not a commercial venture.
“The other issue was the design of the building. We have sub-angled the roof to reduce its mass, so from the road it will not look as imposing.”
Plans will be available to view and comment on at the church in Hunts Pond Road on June 5 from mid-day to 3pm and 6pm to 9pm and on June 6 from 10am to 2pm.
The deadline for comments on the plans to the church is June 9 so they can submit their planning application between mid-June and the end of the month and which will summarise comments made by residents.
Mr Madavan added that church-goers had posted 1,000 letters to nearby residents and urged them to arrange a separate appointment to view the plans if they could not make the viewing days.
He added: “We believe there is a real need in this area for a facility such as this and we want to be open and address all the issues that led to the council refusing us planning permission.”
Once an application has been made to the council, members of the public will also be able to comment on the proposal through the council as part of the normal planning process.