Scientology UK HQ found in breach of planning laws again, Council refuses to act

The Church of Scientology’s UK headquarters have once again been found in breach of planning laws ahead of the annual gathering of their membership body, the International Association of Scientologists (IAS), but Mid-Sussex District Council have determined it not to be in the public interest to take any action.

For the fourth year in a row, the controversial church have erected several mammoth marquees and temporarily paved over a large field in order to use it as a car park as thousands of faithful parishioners prepare to flock to their Saint Hill compound near East Grinstead, Sussex for the annual IAS event. The development spans five hectares (more than half a million square feet) and is situated within a protected Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), with local residents regularly complaining of the “chaos” and “disruption” the event brings to the otherwise quiet, countryside town.

Although plans for the annual erection of the event structures and mega car park were voted for approval by Mid-Sussex District Council earlier this year, formal permission is yet to be granted due to ongoing negotiations over the conditions in a legal agreement between the church and local authority. Until the contract is signed, development on the property is considered a breach in planning law and despite its scale and location within the protected rural landscape, the Council have decided not to take any action. This marks the fourth year in the row Scientology have succeeded in hosting the large-scale annual event, which is often attended by celebrity Scientologist Tom Cruise and the local Mayor, in illegal structures.

In an email to Scientology Business, a Council representative confirmed they had visited the site, “carefully reviewed the matter” and have now concluded their investigation. “No planning permission has yet been issued”, the email confirms, “due tot he need to finalise the accompanying legal agreement. As such, the works that have taken place are not covered by a planning permission.”

Regarding the temporary flooring that has been laid across a field in order to create a temporary mega car park, the Council said “the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 (GPDO), at Part 4, allows for temporary uses and structures.  The flooring is to be used for the Church of Scientology annual event and is therefore subject to the 28 day rule.  Whilst we have not been able to determine the precise date upon which the flooring went down,  we do know that this took place at some point between your first email (20/08) and your second email (04/09).  The 28 day period therefore likely expired between 17 September and 2 October and, until the 28 day period expired, no breach of planning control existed due to the Part 4 permitted development rights being exercised. As this time period has now lapsed and the development remains in place, breaches of planning control have been identified.”

Earlier this year, Mid-Sussex District Council voted to approve plans for a geo-cell grid system to be installed into the field, known as Hobbs Field, that would reinforce the ground so that it can be used as a car park for up to 683 vehicles for no more than thirty days a year. Concerns were raised about water drainage and the increased flood risk associated with non-permeable surfaces, leading the church to propose the grid system as it would allow grass to grow through it during the summer months, giving it the appearance of a field and mitigating the urbanising visual impact of the development. However shortly after the planning committee voted to approve the development, Scientology went back on their word and instead started laying hundreds of hard plastic flooring panels across the field, triggering an investigation. The Council has now decided not to take any action.

“Given that there will shortly be a planning permission issued that will cover the type of development the Church needs in order to run its events, it is considered that there is no public interest in pursuing the breaches of planning control further,” a Council official told us. “Going forward, we will of course expect the planning permission to be implemented in full compliance with the approved drawings and associated documents, and operated in accordance with the conditions attached to the permission”

In 2024, the church was issued a Planning Contravention Notice for the repeated unauthorised developments. This marks the fourth consecutive year in which they have installed illegal structures on the property. Their annual IAS event is set to take place this weekend, with a protest march organised to coincide with the gathering.

A draft legal agreement has been proposed by the Council that would allow for future developments to occur legally. It is understood negotiations between the parties are ongoing, and until a contract is signed any development on the site would be considered illegal.