Plans to turn a former South Tyneside church into a Masonic Lodge given the go ahead

South Tyneside Council’s Planning Committee, at a meeting this week, approved plans for the Harton Methodist Church building at 226 Sunderland Road in the Harton ward.

Plans submitted last year, from the Hedworth Lodge of Freemasons, sought permission to change the use of the building from a place of worship to a Masonic Lodge.

Those behind the planning bid said the building would be used “exclusively for masonic meetings” which would take place twice a month, and not for private functions.

During a council public consultation exercise on the plans, 11 letters of objection were received from seven addresses.

Concerns centred around traffic congestion, parking, the impact of functions and noise pollution from the proposed new use, as well as concerns about the use being “out of character” in a residential area.

The planning application was formally discussed by members of South Tyneside Council’s Planning Committee at a meeting on January 15, 2024.

Council planning officers recommended the application for approval and clarified there had been no objections from the council’s transport experts and highways authority.

During debate on the application, some councillors raised concerns about parking availability and potential impacts on the area from the Masonic Lodge use.

Councillor Paul Brenen questioned whether there would be enough parking “capacity” on nearby streets for the new use, given the existence of another church in the area.

Council planners maintained that access arrangements and the level of parking proposed for the Masonic Lodge were acceptable.

Councillor Geraldine Kilgour, while acknowledging councillors’ concerns about parking, led calls to approve the application.

Cllr Kilgour added the application was a “lovely example of a re-use of a building of this nature”.

After being put to the vote, the application was approved by councillors present, along with one recorded abstention.

Under planning conditions, the change of use needs to be brought forward within three years.

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Approved opening hours for the premises also include 8am to 10.30pm, Monday – Sunday.

A committee report prepared for councillors said: “The details of the application have been examined and given that the facility has some in-curtilage parking spaces available and the proposal is bringing an existing building back into practical use, the scheme is considered acceptable”.

The report added that masonic meetings would take place twice a month at the site with expected attendance being around “20-30 attendees”.

It was noted that a planning condition “restricting the use of the building to Masonic activities only” was “not considered reasonable” given the previous use of the site.

For more information on the planning application, visit South Tyneside Council’s planning portal website and search reference: ST/0683/23/FUL