By Lars Niven

WORSHIPPERS AT a growing church in the west of Fife could soon be forced to turn the volume down after a flood of complaints from neighbouring residents.

People living next to Vine Church in the Garvock Hill area of Dunfermline have bombarded Fife Council with letters and phone calls about noise levels from the old factory.

They are demanding that the local authority enforce the strict planning conditions put in place when the Vine Church first took over the property several years ago.

One of those stated that people living nearby should not be able to hear any noise coming from the church.

However, angry residents say the church has regularly flouted the rules over the past 18 months.

As well as noise levels they have complained about not-so-good vibrations coming from the building and anti-social behaviour, including vandalism.

At the City Chambers in Dunfermline yesterday members of the council’s west Fife area development committee were asked to give officials the legal authority to take action.

In a report prepared for the committee, Keith Winter, the head of development services, told councillors the Vine Church took over the building in the mid-1990s.

The church sought planning permission for a change of use to turn the former factory into a place of worship with provision for community use. That was granted, but with numerous conditions.

These included a 10 pm curfew on any activities within the property or the surrounding area unless previously agreed with the council.

The council also ruled that neighbouring residents should not be able to hear anything that was going on in the church.

Mr Winter said, “This service has received verbal and written complaints from the occupiers of two nearby residential properties.

“The complaints have raised concerns regarding the use of the premises, hours of operation, noise, vibration, lighting, on-street parking, vandalism and other anti-social behaviour, health and safety and licensing.”

Environmental health officers monitored the noise coming from the church and confirmed sounds could be heard in adjacent homes, but they could not be classed as a “statutory nuisance.”

Mr Winter did point out, though, that some musical events held in the church, such as rock concerts, generated significantly more noise.

He said officials wanted the legal authority so that if talks with Vine Church representatives failed to resolve the problem they could take enforcement action.

Committee chairman Alan Kenney said, “God Almighty! Where are we going when a church can’t make a bit of noise.”

Councillor Pat Callaghan added, “I hope we don’t take a sledgehammer to a crack a nut here.”

But Councillor Alex Sawers, in whose ward the church lies, said, “I can assure you over the past 18 months that at my monthly surgeries I have had every representation from people objecting.

“Some of the people live in a building built over a hundred years ago which has walls two feet thick and they can hear the noise.

He added, “Every other month we have a site visit to try to resolve the situation and yet the noise is still going on.”

Mr Kenney suggested officials should hold further talks with all parties concerned.

“Let’s see if we can’t give a better quality of life to people living nearby, but done in a manner that there is leeway on both sides.”

Afterwards, Pastor Jim Dowds, of the Vine Church, told The Courier, “I think the meeting went very well.

“Yes, there have been complaints to the police, but the police have investigated every single complaint and found not a shred of evidence.

“This all relates to one evening back in August where we had a Christian rock band and they went 26 minutes over the 10 pm deadline.

“We are going to go back and consult our legal team and take their advice.”

Pastor Dowds said the church would work with the council in an attempt to solve the problem.

He also pointed out that they no longer hosted rock concerts at the church in Dunfermline. They now took place at Ingliston, by Edinburgh Airport.