Theresa Villiers, MP for Chipping Barnet, met the Revd James Mustard of St Mary's Church, East Barnet, and David Howard, member of the congregation, to hear about plans to extend the church to provide improved facilities. The meeting took place on Friday at St Mary's in Church Hill Road, East Barnet.
Following the meeting, Theresa said "I was very interested to hear of the plans Revd Mustard and his congregation have to improve facilities at St Mary's Church.
The church is believed to date from 1080 which makes it the oldest building in the borough. I was briefed today on the efforts being made to keep the planned extension to the church in harmony with existing structures.
When dealing with a building which has played such a long and distinguished role in our community's history, it will be very important that every care is taken to ensure that the new structures complement the architecture of St Mary's and do nothing to harm this important feature of East Barnet.
I was encouraged to hear that the reason why the extension is needed is to accommodate a growing congregation. I applaud the efforts being made by St Mary's church to reach out to all sections of the community. They have been so successful in this endeavour that they are bursting at the seams every Sunday. The range of benefits the extension plans would deliver include providing better access for the disabled and more space for Sunday school and activities for children.
I was impressed to hear of the extensive work that had been undertaken with the Church of England and with local residents to try to get the design of the new facilities right. I shall be following this issue carefully as progress is made towards submission of a planning application.
I very much enjoyed my visit to St Mary's. Although I have attended many events at the church over the years, it was great to be able to take the time to learn more about its history and plans for its future."
More information about the proposals for St Mary's Church and their 1000+ appeal to fund the project can be found at http://www.stmarys-eastbarnet.org.uk/?page_id=2520