Bid to replace church with care home rejected

A bid to knock down a Hereford church and replace it with a 52-bed care home has been rejected, despite planning officers recommending the scheme go ahead.

Heritage Manor Ltd, which runs Newstead House nursing home, sought planning permission to replace the neighbouring St Barnabas Church with a similar home, with which it would share staff.

Herefordshire Council's planning committee voted 12 to two to refuse the application for the site on Venns Lane, with one abstention.

A range of concerns were shared during proceedings, with issues including the proposed home's size.

Among the complaints were those of a resident of the neighbouring St Barnabas Church vicarage, who stated the home would be "six times the square metrage" of the church it would replace.

Claiming to own a proportion of the land in question, he said this made the firm's application "invalid".

Councillor Mark Woodall questioned whether the sort of care home being proposed needed to be in the city, to which fellow member Polly Andrews replied: "It's much easier to have them in cities so they can get the staff."

She added: "If we turn it down, will the [church] building just sit there?"

According to a planning officer's report, the church was "no longer needed by the parish" and had been declared closed for regular public worship in June 2019.

It was later leased to Oasis Church, an independent evangelical church, but only until July 2024, and since then it had remained empty.

Councillor Bruce Baker asked "who would pay the bills" if the building were to revert to community use.

But member Richard Thomas expressed doubts as to the project's validity, saying he knew of two care homes locally that "haven't got enough patients", adding the nearest alternative community venue to the church, in Holmer, was "chock full".

The applicant had said local health board figures predicted a 50% increase in over-80s in the county, "the part of the population we serve".

However, councillor Stef Simmons said the project should be refused on grounds of amenity, that the new building would overlook the surrounding area, and a lack of evidence that alternative uses for the church had been explored.

At the meeting, a council official said the local authority would "investigate the validity" of the site ownership declaration accompanying the application.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.