News by email Donate

Suggestions

Top Stories

Most Read

Popular Videos

St-Peters-Church-Sandwich-main_article_image.jpg
Save the Chimes
UK News

Church bells to be protected from noise complaints under new rules

by Eno Adeogun

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid, told The Daily Telegraph: "Churches have been part of British life in towns and villages for centuries.

"Their bells should not be silenced by new housing going up which is why planning policy will be strengthened to ensure it will be up to developers building new properties nearby to identify and tackle noise problems."

The promise follows the bells at St Peter's Church in Sandwich, Kent being silenced between 11pm and 7am in November 2017 after a single neighbour complained.

Almost 3,500 people signed a petition to keep the bells ringing, which for the last 238 years, had rung every 15 minutes between 11pm and 7am.

Becky Clark, the Church of England's director of Churches and Cathedrals, welcomed the new rules.

She told The Telegraph: "The Church Buildings Council - the body which helps dioceses maintain church buildings - supports the continued use of church buildings as places of worship, including proclaiming their presence through the ringing of bells.

"We maintain a register of historic bells, some of which date back to the 13th century, and provide grants to help with their care and conservation. Bell ringing has been part of Christian worship for a thousand years."

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference

In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.

Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.

For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.

Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate