The plan is to turn the church into housing for people with learning disabilities and autism
A Preston church could be demolished and used as a supported living home. Plans for the demolition of St David’s Church and community hall in Ashton have been submitted to Preston City Council’s planning committee.
The proposals were sent in earlier this month and are yet to be decided. The plan is to turn the church into housing for people with learning disabilities and autism.
Progress Housing Group will take over the site and replace it with purpose-built accommodation.
Developers aim to provide people with certain disabilities 24-hour support.
If plans are approved for the church to be demolished, a building of 14 rooms will come up at the site.
With new developments and industrial units neighbouring the church, Reverend Tom De Lacey says the church hopes to move over to a more residential area to be “where the people are”.
St David’s holds memories for hundreds of families who lived and were brought up in the Ashton area, Reverend Tom said. But the buildings are now tired and cannot be renovated and many of the terraced streets around St. David’s have given way to industry and people have moved away.
It’s served the local folk for 100 years but the main church building is a timber framed building which was originally designed and built with a lifespan of 50 years- It’s done well to survive so long. So it was with a heavy heart that the congregation decided it was time for us to move as well, he said.
St David’s Church is now in the final stages of transferring the church site to the new owners.
Philomena Cunningham, Operations Director at Progress Housing Group, said: The scheme meets a much-needed demand for supported living accommodation for people with a learning disability or autism.
She said: The scheme will offer 14 units of accommodation, with the ground floor designed specifically for people with limited mobility. The aim is to help people to live independently as part of the local community.
