Plans to demolish 117 year old former church in Ossett scrapped
Proposals were submitted last month to knock down Kingsway Christian Centre in Ossett and build five houses on the site.
Plans to demolish a 117-year-old former church building to make way for housing have been withdrawn following concerns raised by conservation officers.
Proposals were submitted last month to knock down Kingsway Christian Centre in Ossett and build five houses on the site.
The building, constructed in 1909, lies within the town’s conservation area and was originally a Sunday school for the neighbouring Mount Zion Primitive Methodist Chapel.
It ceased to function as a Sunday School during the 1960s and was used as a leather works until 1972, when it re-opened as a United Reformed Church.
It then became The Kingsway Church and Christian Centre and was used for community activities for a number of years before being put up for sale in 2008 and has been vacant since.
The property, on Priory Road, is not listed by Historic England but is on the council’s Building of Local Interest (BLI) list.
Documents submitted to Wakefield Council on behalf of applicant RV2 Power stated much of the building was in a poor condition due to roof leaks and there was “extensive evidence of structural decay.”
Ceilings were damaged, floors had partially collapsed and some walls had cracks, a structural report said.
The applicant said the new homes planned for the site would provide “high-quality living conditions for future occupants with a nod to the previous building formerly in its place.”
A heritage statement also said: “The building’s design limits possible re-use, while its condition further restrains its viability.
“The replacement of the former United Reform church with modern residential properties utilising sympathetic design and materials need not have any major adverse visual or setting impacts on the Ossett conservation area.”
A council conservation officer said the building was historically significant due to its association with the Grade II-listed chapel and other buildings nearby.
A report said: “The loss of the Sunday school building would therefore erode this group value and result in harm to the character and appearance of the conservation area.”
The officer added: “There are concerns regarding the reliance on the building’s deteriorated condition as justification for demolition.
“The property has been in single ownership for a considerable period, during which its condition appears to have progressively deteriorated.
“It would appear that 15 years of disuse and limited maintenance has exacerbated the building’s poor condition.”
The application was withdrawn on July 28, according to the council’s planning portal.”