Published by The Argus on Thursday 18th December 2025
By Joseph Blakely
The former world headquarters of the Church of Scientology is to have its premises licence reviewed, following a complaint.
Saint Hill Manor, located in East Grinstead, has its licence up for review after a request to Mid Sussex District Council.
On Wednesday last week (December 10), the council approved the review, which is open to public consultation until Thursday, January 8 next year.
A premises licence is granted by the council and permits venues to carry out a range of different activities, such as selling alcohol, hot food and drinks overnight, putting on entertainment or hosting events.
This comes after the International Association of Scientologists (IAS) event which was held at the premises in October.
The application for the review claims the IAS event causes “considerable disruption” to the local community and licencing objectives are not being met.
It states: “The current Premises Licence allows the Licence Holder to hold events that place immense pressure and stress on limited council resources, blue light services and the Highways authority, coming at a significant cost to the taxpayer.”
The application adds that a public nuisance is being created by the church’s events causing congestion and excessively loud noise,
Following this year’s IAS event, a spokesman for the Church of Scientology in the UK told the Argus: “The Church of Scientology’s annual celebration at Saint Hill, East Grinstead drew over 7,000 attendees from across the UK and around the world.
“The weekend featured traditional bagpipe performances, community festivities, and a gala charity concert supporting local causes.
“The event was a resounding success, generating significant cultural and economic benefits for the area and warmly welcomed by residents.”
It also asks the council to consider limiting the scale of events held on the property and proposes measures are put in place to safeguard vulnerable people.
The manor, previously home to Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard, formed the world headquarters for the church until 1967.
It is still owned by the church and now operates as the British headquarters, having been visited by famous Scientologist and actor Tom Cruise on multiple occasions.
The manor has been the site of many protests over the years.
In 2024 and earlier this year, the church asked Mid Sussex District Council to put a public spaces protection order (PSPO) in place to prohibit public protest outside the property.
These requests did not come to fruition.
The Church of Scientology has been approached for comment.