The $171,000 place of worship will be constructed on vacant land at 83 Wentworth Drive, Kelso for the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church.

The Bathurst East Gospel Trust lodged the DA with council in April and it detailed the construction of a 173.77 square-metre single-storey meeting hall and 20-space car park.

Trust member Gavin Alderton said at a time when congregations were diminishing at some other churches, the number of Brethren was increasing.

Brethrens already have four meeting halls across Bathurst (Lavelle and Esrom streets, Joubert Drive and Evernden Road) however, the Esrom Street property will be sold off and replaced by the new Wentworth Drive location.

“We are growing, but we’re not big,” Mr Alderton said during the council approval process last month.

“One thing we find is our youth. They are the potential and we’re happy that the youth are staying around and being involved.”

Mr Alderton said while the Church has had some opposition in other communities in the past, the Bathurst community should not be fearful of the unknown.

“When we’ve been there for some time, we find that opposition has dissipated and people are friendly and happy,” he said.

“It is a fundamentally Christian religion and based completely on the teachings of scripture.”

The DA paperwork shows that one building will be constructed on the site, the car parks will be located at the rear of the property and there will be extensive landscaping.

“If you drive past you won’t notice it [the meeting hall]. It’ll look like any other house,” Mr Alderton said.

He said Brethren members have been living and working in Bathurst for more than 47 years, and he said many “run successful businesses providing significant employment opportunities for the wider community”.

The new Wentworth Drive church meeting hall can hold up to 99 people, however, it will be open just two or three times a week for meetings, with up to 40 people expected to attend each one.

Mr Alderton said existing meeting halls across Bathurst already enjoy good relations with neighbours.