FULL and permanent repairs on a collapsed Cheshire church wall are due to take place later this year.

The wall at St Oswald’s, Church Street, Malpas collapsed following heavy storms in January 2021.

Cheshire West and Chester Council commissioned temporary works to make the wall safe and reopen the road. Following the completion of this first stage of the repair project, work has been carried out to prepare for stage two – the permanent repair of the wall.

The project engineer has developed a series of design options for this permanent repair. Consultation with relevant stakeholders, including representatives from the Church of England and the council’s conservation and design officer, and archaeologist, has resulted in a final design option.

Approval to proceed with this design is now needed. The wall is a listed building and the permissions required for the permanent works are Listed Building Consent (a type of planning permission) and formal permission from the Church of England to carry out the works.

An application for the Listed Building Consent has been submitted. Documents have also been submitted to the Church of England’s Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) to obtain permission for the permanent repair works to take place.

The council’s deputy leader and cabinet member of environment, highways and strategic transport, Cllr Karen Shore said: “The council is very grateful for the support and patience of Malpas residents and visitors regarding the collapsed wall at St Oswald’s.

“It is anticipated that the works will begin after April 2022, subject to the necessary consents being granted and should be complete by autumn 2022.”