A community church is set to shut its doors for up to nine months as part of a £400,000 building scheme – leaving hundreds of people with nowhere to run their activity groups.
The Methodist Centre in Bayston Hill, near Shrewsbury, is due to close in the autumn for a host of works to be carried out, including an extension, new roof, improvements to the office space, church entrance, toilets and kitchen facilities.
Church officials are confident the congregation can be accommodated elsewhere, but fears have been raised for the users of 12 community groups who meet at the centre Monday to Saturday. Nearby community halls are already heavily subscribed.
Rev Derrick Lander told the Chronicle up to 300 people of all ages use the church hall. Sessions include children’s dance, art, Extend exercise classes, a fellowship group, felters’ class, line dancing, pram service, Severn Quilters, Shropshire Music Service, Slimming World, spinners and weavers and tai chi.
Rev Lander said: “Our main concern is the community groups as hundreds of people use them. The work will not be completed before spring 2012 which means the church will be closed for six to nine months.
“It would be nice to have the congregation and all the community groups in the same place so we can continue to support them, that’s why if we could use somewhere like the former Oaklands School site that would help.
“But if the council says no to this we will have major difficulties. The danger is the groups will have to find their own accommodation and there is no guarantee they can.”
He added: “To say the groups are important to the community is an understatement. That’s why we’re taking it so seriously to find somewhere else for the groups to go.”
Church officials are in the process of submitting a planning application to Shropshire Council. Improvements to the offices are needed to better support the administration of the Shropshire and Marches Methodist Circuit. The church will also be upgraded with new seating and extensions built on both sides of the building.
Norrie Porter, head of premises and planning for children and young people’s services at Shropshire Council, said: “The future use of the Oaklands School site is currently being considered. The parish council has indicated that it would like the building to be available for community use.
“We are happy to discuss further the temporary use of the building with representatives from the Methodist Centre in Bayston Hill to see if this could be accommodated.”
by Charlotte Hester