Shrewsbury church buildings to be demolished to make way for nine new homes
Two church buildings in Shrewsbury are set to be demolished after plans to build nine new homes were approved by Shropshire Council.
The two vacant buildings off Grafton Mews in Harlescott previously served as the home of Hope Church.
Over the years the buildings hosted family fun days, coffee mornings, workshops and a weekly food bank.
But in April 2022, the church ceased to function, citing a reduction of church members during the Covid-19 pandemic making the service "unsustainable".
According to a letter, written by former pastor Nick Priggis, the buildings were offered to other community groups but there was no interest and the land was sold.
In September last year, the 0.28-acre site went up for action, with a guide price of £140,000.
Now, plans have been approved that will see the mid-20th-century buildings demolished and nine new homes built on the site.
The proposal, submitted by agents Creative Planning on behalf of applicant Carl Elson, is made up of two terraces of three-bedroom homes.
A total of 20 car parking spaces would be provided for residents as well as private gardens to the rear of each property.
Approving the plans, Shropshire Council planning officers determined the buildings were "redundant".
The report continued: "It is considered that sufficient justification has been provided to demonstrate that the church and community buildings are no longer needed or viable, and that the loss of this community facility is acceptable as there are a variety of equivalent or better community facilities within the locality.
"The demolition of the existing buildings and the provision of nine lower cost houses that will make effective use of this brownfield site."
The full application and decision notice is available to view online on Shropshire Council's planning portal using reference number 25/00519/FUL.
