A priest hopes to bulldoze his former church to make way for a house despite council chiefs previously scrapping the divisive scheme.

The Revd Peter Harnden is appealing a planning decision rejecting his proposal to demolish St Gabriel’s – a corrugated iron chapel where he once delivered sermons in Rough Common, near Canterbury,

Rev Harnden says under the direction of his church council he is seeking outline permission so the land off Rough Common Road can be sold to developers.

However, following a backlash from residents, the proposals were last year thrown out by Canterbury City Council over fears the community asset would be lost.

The priest has come out fighting against the fresh opposition sparked by his appeal, with a letter written on his behalf by planning agents blasting the “standard NIMBY objection” of one villager.

Rev Harnden told KentOnline this week: “While I agree there is emotional value, it is a building which is nothing more than a wooden frame and metal walls.

“If people in Rough Common really wanted to keep it open, they would have done something.

“We have to be pragmatic.”

St Gabriel’s was once a vibrant community but now paint peels from the corrugated iron walls, weeds creep across the front steps and the noticeboard advertises church services elsewhere.

Teresa Hankey, who had worshipped at the “tin tabernacle” since 1985 and served as a churchwarden, recalls that decades ago it was well attended by families.

But by the time it shut due to the pandemic in March 2020, the number of regulars had dwindled to single digits.

“I miss it. I was very happy there and I mind very much that it has not been reopened,” said Ms Hankey, 94.

“When I first came here, there was a service on Sundays and a mid-week service on Thursdays.

“It was a vibrant community where people who knew each other would like to see each other and would notice when they weren’t there.

“It was never a huge congregation, but then, the building’s capacity was only 38 people.”

St Gabriel’s was built in the 1930s as a mission church to serve agricultural workers who lived in the then rural village of Rough Common.

It was never consecrated as a church or incorporated into the Diocese of Canterbury. The plot is owned by the parish, not the Church of England.

The shed-like structure was built without foundations and has no heating system, toilet facilities or running water and the parish’s main church St Michaels in neighbouring Harbledown has no money for renovations.

Last September, Canterbury City Council planning chiefs threw out the priest’s plans to replace the chapel with a two-story, three-bedroom house due to fears over “the loss of a community facility”.

But recently, appeal documents submitted to Canterbury City Council explain the parish’s main church is “extremely poor” and is struggling to pay its dues to the diocese.

“In light of their dire financial state, the Parochial Church Council resolved to dispose of St Gabriel’s hut by way of sale,” said the appeal letter.

Rev Harnden, who is now the leader of St Michaels, argues there is no longer demand for the church building.

He says the land needs to be sold for the Church of England to make money and, with steadily shrinking attendance, places of worship in general are struggling financially.

“As a parish we are being asked to pay £69,000 per year to the Diocese of Canterbury and next year they’re asking for £74,000 and we just can’t afford it," said the priest.

“For parishes like ours there’s a very bleak future – there’s going to be some closures, some amalgamations of churches.

“And we can’t afford to reopen St Gabriel’s.

“If there were 40 people attending it, maybe it would be viable, but when it closed there were only six regulars and since then four of them have died.

“We thought of using the building as parish offices or a nursery, but there isn't enough room.

“We’re conscious of the fact that we don’t want it to become an eyesore, but we don’t have the money to repair it.”

Neighbours are divided on the matter.

Ms Hankey longs to see St Gabriel’s refurbished to its former glory, some neighbours would like to see a house built in its place, while others are opposed to such plans for a litany of reasons.

Diane Guest, who lives opposite, says the proposed two-storey house would be an inconvenience and invasion of her privacy.

“If the build was to go ahead, I would not be able to drive safely to or from my property on an already busy road and would struggle to exit my driveway safely,” publicly commented Mrs Guest on the council’s planning website.

“From the set of two windows in the front first-floor bedroom in the proposed plans, the house will have direct views into my home – we will have no privacy at all.

“The design is not in keeping with the personality of the village. It seems a very modern building design to replace a historic village landmark.”

A letter of appeal submitted on October 3 of this year disparaged Mrs Guest’s complaints as “a standard NIMBY objection rather than on reasoned planning grounds”.

Still, some Rough Common residents would prefer that something were done with the space.

Sydney Weston, who has lived in Canterbury for many years, would like to see a house built on the plot of St Gabriel’s.

“It’s a shame to see the church go to rack and ruin,” said Mr Weston, 80.

“But there’s a shortage of houses in Kent so I wouldn’t be opposed to a house being built there.

“It would be a nightmare while it was being built because it’s right on the bend of this busy road, but it would be better for the area once it was done.”

Another neighbour, Roger Wildman, says the church is in a “sad state” and suggests that the area could be transformed into a green space.

“It would be nice if it were knocked down and they put a nice little park there, maybe a bench?” said Mr Wildman, 75.

Asked how he felt about the prospect of a once-cherished church being knocked down, Rev Harnden said his opinion on the matter was irrelevant.

He stressed he is responsible for representing a community and achieving the best financial outcome.

“I will say that it is sad when any place of worship ceases to be needed for worship,” added the priest.

“But we have to recognise that we are living in the age which has been called by some a ‘post-Christian age’.

“A building is nothing without its people.”

The Planning Inspectorate is expected to make a decision on the appeal within the coming months.