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.”
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