St Hugh Of Lincoln church hall in Timperley is set to be demolished and replaced with a purpose-built hall under plans submitted by the Diocese of Shrewsbury.
Plans have been submitted to Trafford Council on behalf of the diocese by architects Bernard Taylor Partnership Ltd, with local residents given until September 19 to object.
The existing church hall, which was built in 1931 and fronts on to Manchester Road, was originally used as the church until the current church was built in 1981.
Below: The proposed design for the new church hall:
The proposed new L-shaped church hall would be positioned alongside Manchester Road, where there are currently gardens, with the new design creating a “public square” between the entrance to the hall and the presbytery.
Also included are plans for a two-storey block of flats, with two two-bedroom flats. During the pre-application planning consultation, the council objected to a proposal to make the flats available on the open market, and has instead requested that the flats are used exclusively by retired priests. A final decision on the flats’ usage is yet to be made.
Below: The proposed design for the new church hall:
The council’s planning officer also advised that the existing church hall “may be considered as a potential heritage asset due to its use as the first parish church”. In its planning documentation, however, the architects described the existing church hall as in a “very poor state of repair” with the extensive presence of asbestos making the continued use of the building “hazardous”. It also notes that the building was originally only intended to be a temporary structure.
The plans, which will also see the demolition of a garage in between the presbytery and the church hall, will not have any impact on the number of spaces in the church car park, which currently stands at 80.
Update (December 15th 2014): Trafford Council’s planning department grants permission for the above works to take place
Below: The church hall pre-demolition:
Update (March 31st 2015) – The church being demolished:
