The Evangelical Church in Paget is slated for demolition, as soon as Planning grants approval.Earlier plans to knock down the structure on Mission Lane and replace it with a new church were turned down this month by the Development Applications Board mainly over difficulties with stringent new parking regulations.A possible deal to use the parking lot of the neighbouring Modern Mart supermarket on South Shore Road fell through.Meanwhile the use of an arable plot of church-owned land for “overflow parking” was rejected by Planning.However, according to Pastor Richard Christen, Planning’s refusal is “neither here nor there”.“The congregation voted last [autumn] to take down the old church building, after a year-long effort of getting professional opinions,” Dr Christen said. “We have all the money needed to take it down.“We’re just waiting for the final word of approval, so that we can demolish it and replace it with our own parking lot.”Valuable cedar from pews and doors would be salvaged and re-used, he said, in a more up-to-date auditorium adjoining the ageing building.Instead of building a new church, he said: “We have our new facility just across the road, a lovely structure with a field next to it, which was dedicated back in 2000. It’s a large multi-purpose room that can fit 250, maybe 300 people. Our plan is to use that facility for our church, and go ahead with the demolition of the present church.”Problems with the main church include mould, unsound foundations and a weakening roof.“Some years back, at one of our large funerals, I could see that the floor was going up and down when the casket was brought in,” Dr Christen said.“Through the years, as we’ve seen it decay, we have moved over to the new facility. It’s crowded, but at the moment it’s adequate.”l Useful web link: www.evangelicalchurchofbermuda.org.