Plans to demolish Shropshire church and build houses

A plan to demolish a church to make way for a two-storey residential property has been lodged with Shropshire Council.

Applicants St Anne’s Parochial Church Council(PCC) have applied for planning permission to raze the timber-clad St Andrew’s church building in Buttonoak to the ground, to make way for a detached four bedroom property.

The small timber-clad chapel was built in 1873 to serve forestry workers in the nearby Wyre Forest – but services ceased in 2021 following what the applicant describes as “several years of decline of the congregation.”

Now the applicant is seeking to find a new use for the site, which sits narrowly within the Shropshire border around a mile outside Bewdley on the B4194 towards Kinlet.

In a planning statement, the PCC said the building was not suitable for conversion to a dwelling, and that leaving the structure as is would leave it as a likely target for vandals.

“This application seeks to gain permission for the demolition of the existing church building to facilitate the construction of a single 2-storey residence, with associated parking,” they said.

“It is a small corrugated-iron roofed mission church built in 1873. The church seats about 60 people and until recently was only open for services once a month.”

“The proposed development will seek to re-purpose the St. Andrews church site, which, without redevelopment, will remain unused, making the existing church building vulnerable to vandalism.

“The indicative site layout indicates that a comfortably sized family dwelling can be accommodated within the site, providing suitable parking and outside amenity / garden space.”

The application seeks outline permission for the demolition of the church and a change of use for the site, with a further, more detailed application to be brought forward for the new building.

The application will be considered by Shropshire Council planning officers un due course.