The Church of Scientology have been issued a warning by Mid Sussex District Council after erecting a huge marquee without planning permission ahead of this weekend’s gathering of the International Association of Scientologists (IAS).
The annual event sees thousands of parishioners flock to the Saint Hill headquarters, near East Grinstead, to hear their elusive leader David Miscavige speak and is often attended by celebrities such as Tom Cruise, who arrived at the property by helicopter last year.
Under UK planning regulations, small temporary structures under 100 square metres do not require planning permission so long as they are removed within 28 days, however the IAS marquee, which is understood to have a capacity of around 3,000, was constructed at the beginning of September and dwarfs the nearby Saint Hill Castle and the Grade-II listed Manor where founder L. Ron Hubbard used to live.
A planning officer at Mid Sussex District Council told Scientology Business “I can confirm that we will be investigating this matter. We have today issued a Planning Contravention Notice in relation to the marquee. The owners have 21 days in which to make their response. Upon receipt of the response, we will assess the information provided and provide you with an update as to our initial findings.”
According to Gov.uk, a planning contravention notice “may only be served when it appears to the local planning authority that a breach of planning control may have occurred and they want to find out more information before deciding what if any enforcement action to take”.
“This is a discretionary procedure – the local planning authority need not serve a planning contravention notice before considering whether it is expedient to issue an enforcement notice or to take any other appropriate enforcement action.”
Saint Hill are also facing scrutiny from the Highways Agency after erecting a fence and hedgerow on public land opposite the property without permission, which it has been told it must remove within 28 days.
The IAS event is due to kick off this Thursday with a ‘welcome dinner’ and fundraising event at the nearby Hever Castle, before festivities begin at Scientology’s own property on Friday. A demonstration is expected to take place throughout the weekend with protestors calling for an end to abuse inside the organisation, despite Scientology’s attempts to implement a ban on the activity.
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