After many months of negotiation a parcel of land has been purchased for a church in the north-western Sydney suburb of Kellyville Ridge, in a prominent location next to the Stanhope Gardens shopping centre.

The Diocese’s manager of parish property strategy, Scott Lincoln, said contracts were exchanged on the land some time ago but there had been an extended settlement period because the block was part of a new subdivision of the Landcom-Mirvac development.

“The next step is for us to lodge a DA with Blacktown City Council for a new church building on the site,” he said. “We’re about to appoint an architect for the project and hope to have a DA lodged within in the next few months.”

Mr Lincoln said while the Mission Property Committee was unable to commit to building the church at Kellyville Ridge just yet due to funding needs, an important first step was to get council approval for the plans. He added that building a church at Kellyville Ridge, while a high priority, would also need to happen after building a rectory and church in the south-western suburb of Oran Park.

The first minister at Oran Park is expected to start work at the beginning of 2012 with a rectory but without a church building. Mr Lincoln said a fundraising campaign for the Oran Park church would begin sometime next year.

“None of this would have been possible without the funds made available from the Diocesan Endowment to purchase land in these growth areas,” he said. “Ministry to the growing population in these greenfield release areas is crucial to support the work of the diocesan mission through new church plants.”