Category Archives: Scientology in Plymouth (UK)

A Scientology Publication Reveals that Plymouth is Next in the Ideal Org Queue – Or Does it?

Posted in Magazine Articles, Plymouth Ideal Org, Scientology in Plymouth (UK), Scientology in the UK by

After the break, there is a short extract taken from Issue 31 of Scientology’s “Affinity” magazine ( published mid 2019).  This page-and-a-half extract represents itself as “The Magazine Of The Church of Scientology of Plymouth” – it’s a magazine within a magazine.

I think this is disingenuous. I think that “Affinity”comes in many custom versions, each personalised with a the identity of a different org.

I posses a number of other issues which include Plymouth Orgs contact details and present as the magazine of Plymouth Org. However, none of the others have any news specifically concerning the Church of Scientology of Plymouth, so the  claim that this is their periodical is simply false.

However, the extract below does concern  Plymouth, and discussed the priority given to the renovation of Plymouth Ideal Org.

If you have been following this blog recently, you will know that the substantial hotel which Scientologists in Plymouth bought back in 2010 to become their Ideal Org has finally had some renovation done.

Work has commenced on the removal of Abestos-containing building materials. This must be completed before any other building work takes place for obvious safety reasons. It’s been undertaken by a reputable specialised company and may already be complete –  so what happens next?

The extract after the break might give a clue – or be deliberately misleading. Both possibilities – and the reasons for the confusion – are intersting Continue reading →

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A Progress Report on Plymouth Ideal Org – And *Another* Puzzle

Posted in Scientology in Plymouth (UK), Scientology in the UK by

I’ve just been to take another look at the building which Scientology has been claiming for almost a decade will soon be renovated to become Plymouth’s ideal org (image left).

The last time I looked, asbestos removal was under way there. I could tell, because the gates were covered with statutory signs put up by the contractor, Gilpin Environmental, who specialise in that work. They had also parked a mobile asbestos removal facility there.

The signs that were on the gates are gone now. The upper left image shows what the place looks like today, and the one below, on the right, how it was during my last visit. However, a mobile decontamination unit is still parked in this secure area.

As we will see below, this unit appears to be a different one, with fewer of the stickers  which identify it as an asbsestos removal facility visible.

I don’t understand what is going on here. However, we do know that Scientology does not like people watching their activities, or reporting on what they are doing. In fact, if you have seen reports from Ideal Org openings (e.g. Firhouse, in the Republic of Ireland and Birmingham in England) you will know that they take great pains to exclude the public, even to the point of putting up expensive sight barriers.

This is because they prefer their entry into a community to be a fait accompli – ideally nobody knows what is happening until after the opening ceremony has taken place.

on te other hand, I doubt a reputable company like Gilpin Environmental would remove the site signs before they had finished doing their job. They are, after all, required by law. I also doubt Scientology could prevail upon them to do this, so that the work attracts less attention.

Is the job complete, then? – in which case, why is the equipment still there? I think it the job probably is over, and the equipment will be moved out soon, but I will check back.

*As always, if you click on any of these high resolution images, they will open in a new tab and you can zoom in. You are also welcome to download and inspect them closely, providing you tell me if you spot anything interesting in the comments 🙂 Continue reading →

Scientology Obtains Planning Permission in Gateshead – and Confirmation of Asbestos Removal in Plymouth

Posted in Plymouth Ideal Org, Scientology in Plymouth (UK), Scientology in the UK by

The local Newspaper serving Gateshead,  “The Chronicle”, reported today  that Scientology has obtained planning permission for an Ideal Org there. This is no surprise and was, in fact, predicted by the BBC

The Church of Scientolgy can now start work on renovating the local building they bought more than a decade ago (the former Windmill Hills nursing home, on the edge of Gateshead Town Centre).

In January 2017, they stated an intention to renovate in “two to three years” after the place had been left to rot since they bought it 10 years previously.

The Ideal Org builing in Plymouth was also granted planning permission recently. You can view the plans here and take a high-resolution video tour of the place here.

What’s more, work has commenced with the removal of asbesto-containing material in Plymouth. This is important because those materials have likely degraded due to serious leaks in the roofing, and also  been disturbed by Scientologists. They have, for example, stripped out floorboards and fittings to sell – while people have been living there.

See after the break, for a discussion of Ideal Org prospects in the UK, and confirmation that a specialised asbestos removal crew is on the scene in Plymouth. Continue reading →

A Video Survey Of Pymouth’s ‘Ideal Org’ Building – Soon to Become a Scientology ‘Church’?

Posted in Plymouth Ideal Org, Scientology in Plymouth (UK), Scientology in the UK by

On the 7th of July 2019, contractors moved in to start work on a building which The Church of Scientology had bought in late 2010. Back then they promised that it would soon become an ‘Ideal Org’ (a well-appointed Scientology ‘church’). However, here we are, after almost a decade of raising funds from members, and they have only just started work.

No visible maintenance has taken place in all that time, and the building has visibly degraded. The arrival of contractors might be the prelude to the full restoration of the building – or it might have been decided that the asbestos-containing material inside (which are noted in their planning application) had to be made safe.

Just in case, it seemed to be a good idea to produce a detailed video survey of the building before work begins (assuming it ever does) and fences go up. Here it is.

Click on the ‘cog’ at the bottom right of the YouTube window and select ‘Quality’ to raise the resolution all the way up to 4K.  To watch full-screen click the ‘broken square’ icon.

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The Renovation of Plymouth Ideal Org is Underway – With the Removal of Asbestos

Posted in Plymouth Ideal Org, Scientology in Plymouth (UK), Scientology in the UK by

The Church of Scientology has always had problems with asbestos. Its antique ‘cruise ship’ the Freewinds contained a lot of asbestos which was allegedly removed by crew members without protective equipment. L Ron Hubbard said that glass fibre was dangerous, but didn’t mention asbestos. Hubbard’s word is held to be infallible, so asbestos was deemed to be harmless by Scientology management.

There seems to be asbestos in Plymouth’s Ideal Org building, too. A few days ago speialised equipment arrived there, and material is now being carefully handled by Gilpin Environmental This company is a respectable asbestos removal contractor who have made various old buildings in Plymouth safe for restoration or demolition.

One of the the risk assessment documents that was submitted as part of the planning application noted that “onsite former buildings” were contaminated by “asbestos containing materials” and it seems that this problem is now being addressed, as it must be, beofre builing work commences.

However, there is another consideration which may already have presented a serious hazard to health. Continue reading →

Plans for Plymouth (UK) Ideal Org Approved by Local Council – Game On!

Posted in David Miscavige, Scientology in Plymouth (UK), Scientology in the UK by

The online version of the local newspaper (The Plymouth Herald) is reporting that planning permission for the renovation of the Royal Fleet Hotel has been granted.

Planning permission means that Scientology have an official permission to renovate the building and open it as an ideal org, according to detailed plans they submitted earlier. These can be viewed here.

Informally, the Council were not happy – however, they are local administrators bound by the rules that apply to these applications. Objections were lodged on the grounds of insufficent parking (which the Church walked right into, making ludicrously inflated claims about the numbers of active Scientologists in the whole region) to no avail.

Also, the Church employed Paul Butler Associates, a firm with considerable expertise in obtaining planning permission. Even if the Council had refused, their decision would likely have been overturned on appeal.

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The Plans for Scientology’s Ideal Org in Plymouth (UK)

Posted in Scientology in Plymouth (UK), Scientology in the UK, Uncategorized by

Recently, Scientology applied for planning permission to renovate the old hotel they bought almost a decade ago and open it as an Ideal org. For the details, please see yesterday’s story.

The UK planning process requires applicants to submit detailed informtion about their proposals. These might be to erect a new building, modify or renovate an old one, or change the permitted use of a building.

This even applies to Scientology who have been careful to retain Paul Butler Associates a firm of  consultants who specialise in managing planning application insure they are granted.

These documents provide a useful insight into Scientology’s furture plans. They are available from the Plymouth City Council Website, and will be mirrored here, soon.

I would encourage readers to comment below, or email me through the feedback page if they find anything interesting in them. This thing is happening in my town, and I will follow it’s progress in great detail over multiple posts. Links are given to multiple documents after the break

Continue reading →