Plans to demolish out of use church rejected

Plans to demolish an out of use church in Shropshire have been rejected.

Our Lady of Pity on Meadow Close, Shrewsbury, was built in 1961 but permanently closed in 2022 due to structural cracking throughout the building.

The Roman Catholic diocese of Shrewsbury applied to demolish the church and lay turf on the ground for the site to be reused as the wider parish had "continued to operate" without the building.

However, Shropshire Council planning officers said it had refused the application as it had "insufficient information" for the authority to make an informed assessment of the demolition.

The Shrewsbury Civic Society said that the building should be put up for sale or adapted for "residential, commercial, or community use" rather than demolished.

"Repairs are possible, though substantial. This is not considered a valid reason for demolition," the society said.

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