“We are not against the Exclusive Brethren, we just don’t think this is the right location for their meeting place,” said neighbouring resident, Eileen Steel.

Spokesman for the Exclusive Brethren, Tim Pridham, said yesterday the planned place of public worship would be designed to look like any other house in the street and his church would work with residents to overcome any concerns they had about the development.

“We have tried to design it like a house so it fits in with other buildings. It will not look like a church,” Mr Pridham said.

Another Stirling Boulevard resident, Barry Bloodworth said everyone who bought land in the street had done so in the belief the street would be for residential purposes only.

“The subdivision has been promoted and sold to residents on the basis of it being a high-class residential area,” said Barry Brown, who has built two home units across the road from the proposed church.

“Residents may well feel they have been misled in their purchase.”

Residents are worried that church services will include a 6am Sunday service at which up to 50 people are expected to attend.

The Exclusive Brethren’s development application now before council includes parking spaces for 10 vehicles.

The church says, however, that about 20 to 30 per cent of people are expected to walk to services from within the local neighbourhood and that vehicles driven by congregation members tend to carry about five people each, meaning there will not be a lot of traffic.

“The location of the site was specifically selected to allow people to walk to the site, as some members of the congregation live nearby,” the application says.

Mr Bloodworth doubts most people will be prepared to walk to church at 6am in the middle of a Wagga winter, but Mr Pridham said that was his experience.