PLANS to build a new vicarage next to St Faith’s Church, Lee-on-Solent, have been submitted to Gosport Borough Council.

The proposed new homes, looking across Victoria Square with St Faith's Church behind

Looking the other way across the proposed new homes

If the plans are approved, the modern new house, in Victoria Square, will be the first new vicarage built in the Diocese of Portsmouth for 10 years, and will comply with new Church of England guidelines designed to make it eco-friendly.

The intended three other houses to be built alongside the new vicarage have been designed in a sympathetic style to the existing detached homes across the road, and in a similar style to other houses in the area. If plans are approved, the sale of these three new homes would help to pay for the building of the vicarage.

And a major planting scheme will see mature and healthy trees planted around all four homes, which will restore the pleasant views of Victoria Square.

The Archdeacon of the Meon, the Ven Gavin Collins, said: “This will be our first new vicarage for a while, and will be a lot more eco-friendly than vicarages traditionally have been. There will be solar panels on the roof, it will be thoroughly insulated, and it will include a water butt to recycle water, and a composter. This will all help to make it easier to heat, maintain and support sustainability.

“There will also be a separate study, to preserve the privacy of visitors to the vicarage, and also to maintain the privacy of the vicar’s own family.

“The redevelopment is designed to be sympathetic to the character of houses around Victoria Square. So each of the four houses will be good quality, detached homes for families, in keeping with the style and design of quality nearby homes.

“The sale of three of those homes will mean that we are using our assets – ie. the land we own – to help pay for the development, rather than spending the money our congregations put in the collection plate. We always prefer to spend such donations on clergy, lay workers and projects to serve our local communities, rather than on building work.

“As we promised, there will be a major tree planting scheme. We’ll be planting species that are in keeping with the area, that are mature and healthy and have potential to grow further. We’re confident that local residents’ views of Victoria Square will be just as pleasant as they were before, if not more so.

“We have tried to consider both the interests of the people who will live in these new homes and those residents who already live in the area.”

The planning application can be viewed at Gosport Borough Council’s offices or online at www.gosport.gov.uk. Any comments on the proposals should be sent to the council’s planning department.