PLANS have been lodged to create a flexible new community space within a church in Ellesmere Port.
Documents submitted to Cheshire West and Chester Council’s planning portal last week detail a modern extension to St Thomas and All Saints Church, Whitby Road, with a new foyer area, community activity space, toilets, kitchen, an office and meeting rooms.
The proposal will mean the demolition of part of the eastern block of the church, replacing the brick structure with an extended metal gable and a fully glazed front, allowing more natural light into the building.
There will also be provision for a coffee space, with new toilets, including a fully accessible toilet, and a kitchen.
A moveable worship table and screen will be added as well as improved lighting throughout the building.
Car park spaces close to the east end of the building will be relocated to the north-east of the car park and three additional car park spaces will be created.
Architects Donald Insall Associates state: “The existing worship space is rather lacking in natural light and appears “closed off” from anyone outside the building. Ancillary spaces are awkwardly arranged, and circulation spaces are cramped and confusing. A number of piece-meal alterations in the past have tended to compound these problems.”
The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of Ellesmere Port intend for the new spaces to be flexible and multi-purpose and hope that it will allow for increased community use of the church.
The architects conclude: “The proposals for St Thomas represent an evolution in the continued community use of the church and its facilities. They are designed specifically to improve accessibility and inclusivity in the widest sense.
“The proposed design is contemporary and will radically change the internal character of the building and its physical appearance to users yet is understated in its impact on the public realm.”
The brickwork from the demolished gable will be recycled with the new steel, timber and metal cladding able to be recycled or reused in the future and new lighting will be provided by low-energy LEDs.
Plans also include a new pedestrian-only area at the east end of the building and the addition of a number of new trees elsewhere on the site.
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