The fight to prevent St Mary’s Parish Church being turned into a shared-use arts centre has gathered pace with a Facebook campaign.

Protester Chris Cooper, left, who lives in the Churchyard and used to be a member of the church’s governing council, has created the Save Ashford Church group on the social networking website to gain support for his campaign.

A description of the group reads: “We contend that it is first and foremost a church, and God’s House. As such it should be a place of reverence and decency where the people of the town may feel safe and at peace when they visit.”

Mr Cooper has been at the forefront of the campaign to stop the removal of Victorian pews and moving the church’s pulpit to accommodate arts performance areas.

He said: “I feel like I have had a calling from God to be here to sort this out, which is why I bought a house here so I can best deal with fighting these plans. I have no problem in there being an arts centre for Ashford, but it should not be here. This is a church – not a theme park."

“I have had many letters from people who agree with me about what is being proposed for the church. I thought that the Facebook campaign would help reach a number of people who would not ordinarily know about what is happening there. So far there are 56 members of my page, which isn’t bad considering Facebook is largely a young person’s medium.”

Mr Cooper is calling on council chiefs to investigate other sites for development, including a disused Victorian building near Ashford International station known as the Toy Store.

Ashford Borough Council has pledged £100,000 of the £1.2million estimated cost for the project, which aims to bring a new arts space to Ashford.

The project has gained support from members of Ashford Borough Council and the church’s own vicar, Canon Colin Preece.

Canon Preece said: “The income from arts performances and community events will preserve the historical, architectural and community significance of St Mary’s.”