Church bought our neighbours house

[Baxdream]

Our neighbours have just completed on their sale. We've been told the church have bought it. Does anyone know what this means? Who will live there? It's a large house.

The church is about a 5 minute walk.
Do you know where the priest/vicar lives?

No idea but it looks like there's a house next to the church

@Baxdream

It's a nice area. It's quite sought after - good schools, relatively low crime etc. It's not a village though. A refuge would be out of place to say the least.

Wow. People who need refuge shouldn't live in nice areas with good schools or low crime? Words fail me.

The Salvation Army bought a house very near me. A married couple of majors live there. They have weekly prayer meetings (not atm obviously) and are currently irgsni9foid deliveries. Very nice people.

*organising food deliveries.

@Baxdream

The church is about a 5 minute walk. Another neighbour is very involved in that church. They definitely wouldn't want to bring the neighbourhood down. The previous owners were trying to sell for about 2 years so I guess they were desperate!

And the offensive statements just keep coming. Maybe your neighbour has more humanity than you do?

Vulnerable women or children. Possibly homeless people.

The church owning it is probably a good thing. The church will keep on the upkeep. The town I lived in before this sold their manse and bought a new one as a way of attracting the minister they wanted. It worked.

Well a keypad means lots of different people living there, so I’d guess a hostel of some kind. Not great as a neighbour.

@Baxdream

For £6 or so you can get a copy online of the "deeds" from the Land Registry [if you are in England anyway] and that will tell you who the owner "really" is.

Bishops house? Especially if it's a large one. My archbishop friend sold the original house as it would cost two much to maintain and bought a 'smaller' (7 bed) house. To use as his and his chaplains house and their offices s

I wonder if it needs permission to be used as anything other than an ordinary domestic residence?

@suggestionsplease1

I wonder if it needs permission to be used as anything other than an ordinary domestic residence?

Yes, it would need change of use planning permission. Check your council's planning webpage, op.

Thought this was about me for a minute - we're completing next week and selling our house to a church charity who will use it for people at risk of homelessness. I can't imagine our neighbours will be thrilled but the charity said they're buying 20 houses in our town alone so I guess a lot of people will have this!

My understanding (not that it actually matters to me - once it's sold it's not our house) is that they'll need a HMO licence but not planning permission because it's still in residential use.

That’s a point, can’t you ask your neighbour? They likely know.

I knew someone would make out I'm unkind 🤦‍♀️

Anyway, it was the builder fitting the keypad that told us. We will ask the other neighbours when we get a chance. Obviously the previous owners left and didn't say anything but we didn't ask to be fair.

There's no planning applications in yet

You’re not being unkind OP. it’s perfectly reasonable to wonder who’s going to be next door and what the impact is likely to be.

@Patch23042

You’re not being unkind OP. it’s perfectly reasonable to wonder who’s going to be next door and what the impact is likely to be.

Totally agree.

Exactly, I really don't mind who lives there but I do need to be mindful of any impact on my home.

How big is the house? It’s quite common for the Church of England to buy a house if they have a new curate moving to the church (the vicar would already be using the vicarage). There are rules about the house having to be a certain size and accommodate an office so if they have kids then a 4-5 bedroom house wouldn’t be unusual

@Baxdream

I knew someone would make out I'm unkind 🤦‍♀️

Anyway, it was the builder fitting the keypad that told us. We will ask the other neighbours when we get a chance. Obviously the previous owners left and didn't say anything but we didn't ask to be fair.

You don't even know who will live there, and you are already posting about how they are unsuitable for your nice area or might bring down the neighbourhood. Of course you are being unkind. You are making horrendous assumptions about people who you think might live there, and assuming that they are somehow less than you and don't deserve to live in a nice neighbourhood. The only one making out that you are "unkind" is you! Personally I'd come up with a whole other list of words, starting with "snob".

I don’t think it’s unkind to wonder who will live there and rhe impact on your home

I do think it’s deeply unkind to be making comments about vunerable people like they would bring the neighbour hood down or it’s a nice area so a refuge for them would be out of place.

It’s not that you’re asking who will be next door, it’s the comments you’re making about vulnerable people that folks are objecting to.

Homeless hostels are notoriously difficult to live beside, however NIMBYish that may come across.
It's a fact, albeit an unpalatable one.

It’s highly unlikely to be a homeless hostel.