The former site of Swane's Nursery at Sylvania, near Caringbah, is to host a new church following development approval provided recently Sutherland Shire Council.
The green light was given to St Luke's Coptic Orthodox Church to refurbish a dwelling that already exists on the Port Hacking Road site and to build a new church.
As part of the approval for the $2.3m project, the council temporarily limited the amount of worshippers permitted to attend Sunday services to 112 people due to insufficient parking.
Father Daniel Fanous, the parish priest, described the approval as incredible news and said the new development will allow the church to better serve community members.
He said the project was separate to the church's plans to establish an archdiocese headquarters just up the road in Caringbah.
According to the Sylvania project's development application, the new church will provide 168 seats and host an entry foyer, book stall room, cry room and mother's room, as well as a storage area on the first floor. In addition, the church will include an outdoor covered dining and seating area, cafe and toilet facilities.
Special services and events held at venues such as this are often advertised via community-based flyer printing campaigns.
A total of 21 car parking spaces on site and a further seven spaces on the Port Hacking Road side were proposed in the application, which a council report stated could increase during events and mass.
