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Planning Application Submitted To Turn York Office Into Buddhist Shrine
The first step has been taken to convert a York city centre office unit into a social hub, shrine and place of worship for York’s Buddhist community.
The planning application, submitted by Triratna Buddhist Community, would convert Ryedale House’s Unit A from a commercial Class E building to a Class F1(f) place of worship.
The plan, with help from designers, construction experts and scaffolders in York, is to create an open-plan space, primarily consisting of a versatile social area, as well as a shrine room/meditation area on the right-hand side, as well as storage and other practical facilities.
As well as this, a small tea bar, lobby and WC facilities would be added.
Triratna Buddhist Community, formerly known as Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, noted that whilst worship-related activities would take place at the centre, Buddhism does not place the same amount of focus primarily on masses or other worship sessions.
Instead, the main activities that would take place in the facility include the study of various books and different forms of meditation. This includes guided meditation sessions, an introduction to Buddhism meeting, day retreats and study groups for members of the community.
The group have also noted that no more than 35 people would congregate at Ryedale House at any one time and the opening times would be somewhat variable based on when events take place, with the centre not being in continuous use.
The initial comments from the Guildhall planning panel were somewhat positive, describing the plan by TBC to be “well thought out”.
On the other hand, some objections have been noted by a pair of residents who object to the change of use aspect of the project.
Specifically, both commentators had similar complaints and concerns about three major aspects.
The first is that they believed that it would affect the sale value of the flat due to it being used as a religious facility, although there is little to substantiate this, and German studies on property near to a place of worship have not found a link between proximity and prices.
They also cite press reports that could make the centre a target for vandalism or property damage, although without any proof to substantiate this.
They also cite concerns surrounding the number of people worshipping at any one time, although as the application notes, this number is an absolute maximum, the numbers are likely to be lower than this and they will not be there the entire time.
The TBC noted specifically in the application that one tenant of Buddhist belief and practise is respect for other people, and would disperse quietly after evening sessions.
They also noted that their proposed hours of operation (9:00 am to 9:30 pm Monday to Friday, 9:00 am – 5:30 pm at the weekend) were shorter than two nearby supermarkets and a Red Lion pub.
They also pointed out that the apartments that had been approved previously had noise insulation as part of their planning application, and that none of the activities at the facility involve loud noises or any form of amplified sound.
