£3m Dudley church set to expand
A £3million church has revealed plans for an expansion project to provide facilities including a cafe, day nursery and children's centre.
Champions Church in Netherton opened its 850-seat amphitheatre-style church building and community centre in 2010 to house its growing congregation.
Church leaders have now lodged plans for the second phase of the development with Dudley Council.
Under the proposals, there will be two separate extensions built on the site, off Cinder Bank. The scheme will also create new jobs.
The first extension will house the children and youth facilities and will replace temporary buildings on the site.
It would include six function rooms which would be used by the youth groups and a nursery.
While the second will have a café and bookstore on the ground floor and office space and seminar rooms on the first floor.
It will be connected to the main auditorium to provide a route to the café for the congregation attending the Sunday service.
The church has been led by senior pastors Mark and Gillian Burchell since 1998.
A planning application submitted to the council by Mr Burchell said: "The development proposed as part of this application is primarily to improve the facilities for existing users.
"In particular to move the youth events which are housing in temporary Portacabins to purpose built facilities
"It is anticipated that with the additional facilities and as the church grows additional staff will be employed.
"It is currently anticipated that an additional two full time staff will be employed within the next 18 months."
The church is active within the community providing a soup kitchen and a community clothing and ironing store. It holds its main service on a Sunday morning with a youth event on Friday evenings. An average of 600 people attend the Sunday services.
Before moving to the new site, the church was based in the former Baptist Church in St Giles Street.
The site is still used by the church's four full-time members of staff but once the second phase of the scheme is completed they will move to the new building.
Extra car parking will also be provided with the number of spaces increased to 154. The church currently runs two shuttle buses for its Sunday services picking people up from five locations in the borough.
