Plans to rebuild a dilapidated church on Morgan’s Point have been recommended for approval by planning officers.Developers behind the project hope to have the church up and running as soon as construction is completed, even as work on the surrounding area continues.Residents of the base facility had used the church, located on Constitution Road.The building fell into a state of disrepair after the US pulled out in 1995. The building’s roof has collapsed, and vegetation now grows inside of the abandoned structure.Brian and Nancy Duperreault applied for planning permission to redevelop the church as part of larger plans to build multiple hotels on the former baselands. A revised version of the application was received by the Planning Department earlier this month.According to the revised application, the completed church would have a seating capacity of 288 people, along with parking spaces for 88 cars and 58 motorcycles.Bathrooms would be built in an adjacent building, which developers said is hoped to house a museum and offices and space for summer camps and Sunday schools.The extent of those renovations will be the subject of a separate application, according to the developer.According to the documents included in the application, the developers hope to open the church as soon as work on the building is completed — even as construction and remediation work in the surrounding area continues.In a report on the project, Planner Tamsyn Doran wrote: “Notwithstanding the application’s site location, within Morgan’s Point and its surroundings, which are undergoing demolition and clean-up, the church is intended to be open to the public once works are complete.”However the application also noted that barriers will be established to separate the public from any ongoing work.In an e-mail included in the application, a representative for Onsite Engineering wrote: “This is a major interest for the Duperreaults, who may become a large part of the financing of the resort as a whole.“They would like to see this church restored first because it’s a good first step into creating a community out on the point, as well as ensuring that this piece of Bermudian religious heritage is preserved and becomes a shining symbol of peace and a focal point of ceremonies in the middle of a modern tourist development.”The redeveloped church would be open to the public. The application also notes the potential for visitors to use the church for marriages and other ceremonies.Mr Duperreault himself is quoted in an e-mail as saying: “Morgan’s Point has been badly neglected. Its buildings and infrastructure were looted and either purposely vandalised or left to the elements. But the worst thing is that happened to the church.“The House of God was destroyed. It was stripped bare and vandalised. The roof was caved in. Trees were allowed to grow where the alter had been.”Mr Duperreault, along with business partners Craig Christensen and Nelson Hunt, formally acquired the 80-acre Morgan’s Point property in a land swap agreement earlier this year. They have announced plans to build three hotels, condominiums, restaurants and a spa along with other amenities on the brownfield site.