Ahead of its 200th birthday, a Ryde church is looking to bring its building into the 21st century.
St James’s Church, on Market Street, wants to upgrade its home in a major regeneration project.
Plans have been submitted to the Isle of Wight Council to overhaul the interior of the Grade II listed building, as well as adding solar panels to the roof. The plans would see an increase in the size of the residential apartment, a coffee ‘drop-in’ area added and a lift to allow better access.
The removal of box pews on the ground floor, to create a large multi-purpose meeting space, is also on the cards.
The work is hoped to be done over the next few years, in time for the church’s 200th anniversary in 2027. However, previous attempts to update the church, dating back to 2013, had been thwarted following negative feedback from the Diocese of Portsmouth and other external consultees.
Planning documents submitted by John Quinlan Architect on behalf of the church said the main reason the project had not gone ahead so far was objections unless all other avenues had been explored.
The documents say the building has a lot of space that may not be laid out in a way that best meets the needs of the current users. The box pews, Mr Quinlan says, restrict the capacity and its growing congregation puts increasing pressure on the infrastructure. However, pews would remain on the balcony.
In 2020, the church voted to leave the Church of England and join the Anglican Mission in England and documents say this has been a key feature of bringing forward the planning application.
The move means the church trustees can now independently manage the building and its finances without the need to consult the Diocese of Portsmouth.
The church said it is keen to work with heritage societies to find a way forward which can accommodate any concerns while also giving the congregations its desired outcome.
You can view the plans, 22/00782/FUL and 22/00783/LBC, on the Isle of Wight Council’s planning register. Comments can be submitted until 21st June.
Church asking local authority for funding? Times must be hard…
Pity Bob you don’t read articles properly St James’s isn’t asking for ANY funding ! Just planning permission nothing else , We are actually one of the few churches where are fellowship is growing, so we want to care for our lovely Grade listed building nearly 200 hundred years old, realising we are only caretakers wanting to pass it on for another 200 years
Seems that religion is being pushed out or at least aside, and the idle in society are just being catered for, who see such places as cheap meeting place to have a coffee whilst their tax credit kept hoards run riot without wrecking their homes.
Yet the church knows it is the only way to keep the place going now, as benefits, subsidised housing and council tax, child allowance, child tax credits and universal credits along with disability payments, many of them being suss, have replaced the need to pray for help to any greater power, as WE the taxpayers keep the growing masses in a lifestyle that only the rich could once attain
Amen to that wonderfully accurate insightful comment there Jim.
Thank you for that wonderful display of the caring, compassionate and extremely accurate portrayal of Christian and religious values.
Jim, you sum up modern motherhood perfectly.
They should turn all churches into community hubs and homeless shelters.
When, years ago, the poor were down on their luck they were mostly quiet, respectful, humble beings, so that getting churches to aid themwould not have been so bad.
Yet now, many of these homeless are ex or current drug taking, drunks, abusers, crude, foul mouthed, criminal minded, vile low life, often violent and would abuse staff, the building and make life intolerable for those anywhere near the place.
Whilst the Christian mind is to help those unfortunates, it can’t be achieved if the sort needing help are destroying the bowl and the hand that feeds it.
Turning the other cheek is noble once, yet after once foolish
You know this for a fact?, or just soak up all the dross drip fed by News Channels and Social media where a cut finger rapidly expands too a arm off with a machete? Otherwise know as Isle of Wight whispers!.