Decision day looms over plan to demolish Chorley Sunday School for over-55s flat scheme
The Sunday School is on the council’s list of Locally Important Buildings.
A decision over plans to demolish a Chorley Sunday School and build an over-55s living scheme in its place will be made next week.
A planning statement said the Sunday School building “has been used for many years and seen hundreds of young people commence their journey through the Sunday school and on to the church. However, in more recent years the demand for its facilities has fallen and, as it currently stands, the building would be unfit for modern day needs.”
The Sunday School is on the council’s list of Locally Important Buildings, but repairs to the flat roofs are estimated to be in the region of £34,000, and the large pitched roof is also in need of significant repair if not replacement, with the applicant stating the probable cost around £100,000 “and the money simply is not there”.
The planning statement adds: “Due to the decline in support for use of the spaces, and the current condition of the building there is a need to regenerate the site and provide a building which connects with the community and contributes positively to the area. The use of the site as residential accommodation would be comparable with the surrounding land uses.”
How would the new building look?
The statement acknowledges that the existing building’s facade facing Gillibrand Walks and Devonshire Road are of local significance, and the adjacency of the Methodist Church also puts the building into a significant setting. The agent said: “With an aim to protect this sense of place through the building’s characteristics, the proposal aims to protect some of the significant assets of the Sunday School façade and provide a sensitive integration of modern design.”
The height of the building is intended to be lower than the neighbouring church to not draw away from the significance of the ecclesiastical structure, but it will contain some features that reflect the architecture of the church, such as arches above some of the upper windows, the sills and decorative rounded string courses to mimic the banding seen on the church.
Objections
There have been 18 letters of objection submitted to CBC over the proposals, citing issues including:
- Highways safety
- The height of the development would not be inkeeping with the area
- Loss of a building with heritage significance
- Loss of amenity for neighbouring properties
No objections have been raised by statutory consultees.
Recommendation
A report drawn up by CBC planning officers recommends that councillors approve the scheme, subject to conditions and a £24,472 contribution to public open spaces.
The report states: “While the proposal would result in the los of a non-designated hertiage asset it is not considered that the adverse impacts of this outweigh the significant social benefits through the provision of housing for older people, to which substantial weight is attached.”
History of the building
The building, which was opened in the 1930s, has hosted events and activities both for Trinity Church itself, the local Methodist Circuit and the wider community. Concerts and theatre productions featured on a regular basis, there was a thriving inter-church badminton league and matches in the hall, school rooms offered homes to the Scouts, the Guides, Cubs and Brownies, there was a regular youth club on Friday and Sunday nights, and mother and toddler groups have also operated from the venue.
A decision will be made on Tuesday, October 6.
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