Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Organ workshop no longer a pipe dream
The boss of a church organ building company hit a dud note with planning officials when he proposed developing a new home and workshop in the countryside.
But Stephen Bayley and his architects were able to persuade councillors of the merits of the project in West Stourmouth, which has now been granted permission.
Mr Bayley runs F H Browne and Sons - a 145-year-old firm based in Ash which specialises in building and restoring church organs. It is the only operation of its kind in Kent.
But with the lease due to expire on his existing workshop and an increasing workload, he needed a bigger site to expand the business.
He found an ideal plot of land next to the Grade I-listed Saxon church in West Stourmouth, where he grew up.
But planning officials said the proposed new house and separate workshop breached guidelines about development in the countryside and recommended refusal.
However, the sympathetic design of the buildings and the offer to support the upkeep of the church swayed members of Dover District Council’s planning committee.
A delighted Mr Bayley said: “I have to thank my architects Lee Evans for producing such thoughtful designs, incorporating an old chapel of rest next to the church, which will be part of our house.
“The workshop also sits low in a disused quarry, so is very discreet.
“Fortunately, there were no objections from neighbours or the parish council, which also helped.”
Mr Bayley says that building a bespoke workshop for the business will help with its unique demands.
And he says the littleused church will also provide the perfect environment for testing the organs.
In return he has agreed with the Church Conservation Trust to pay £2,000 a year towards the upkeep of the historic building.
May Bayley, 37, who started out as a 15-year-old apprentice with the firm, now runs the business with his wife, Yvette, with whom he has three children.
He said: “We are really excited about it because our current location is not really suitable for the very specialised nature of our work and space to accommodate very tall organ pipes.”
That work involves caring for about 600 church organs across the UK and as far away as the Falkland Islands, where he recently flew to quote for the restoration of the Port Stanley Cathedral organ - a job now awarded to the company.
The cost of restoring an organ can start at about £ 20,000, while building a new one can be upwards of several hundred thousand pounds.
Mr Bayley hopes to have the buildings finished in a year once work has started.
The business employs 13 people, but also plans to take on two new apprentices.
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