The $80,000 project will see the conversion of an existing building at 9 Corporation Avenue, Robin Hill for the Generocity Church.

The DA was lodged with council in February and it detailed the redevelopment of the 2817 square metre site.

Information provided in the Statement of Environmental Effects (SoEE) states that the front space of the building (along Corporation Avenue) would be used as office space on weekdays.

“Most often this will involve five to 10 people performing administrative, training, pastoral care and organisational tasks,” the SoEE reads.

“The office space is accessed by the front entry and utilises the front car park where there are 12 car parks already in existence.”

The auditorium’s (located behind the office) main use would be to hold Sunday church services.

“Currently these take place at 10am on Sunday Morning and involve 60 to 70 people,” the SoEE states.

A 385 square metre workshop at the rear of the property would be leased out to a third party for use as a warehouse/workshop during business hours.

“Given the space and facilities in the workshop it is expected this will be leased by a small business with minimal parking requirements,” the SoEE said.

“The workshop is accessed from the side entry [Lombard Drive] and utilises the side car park [14 spaces].

The DA states that under “normal circumstances” the auditorium would not be used at the same time as the office space or the workshop, so the site’s 26 car parks would be sufficient and there would be “little disruption to others in the area”. 

Generocity Church lead pastor Caleb Dwyer said the congregation had grown since the church first arrived in Bathurst two years ago.

Once the redevelopment has been completed all of the church’s services will relocate from Bathurst South Public School to the new site.

“It gets us out of residential spaces which is good,” lead pastor Dwyer said of the relocation.

He said the new church would be designed to specifications that will provide a permanent space for services and community programs.

Fortnightly Friday morning Mainly Music sessions will also be held in the church.

Generocity Church also have places of worship in Cobar, Dubbo, Forbes, Narromine and Parkes, with another to open in Orange later this year.