Upcoming Events :
Housing Seminar: Partnerships with the Public Sector – Avoiding the pitfalls
Thu 31 May 2012
Minerva House, 5 Montague Close, London, SE1 9BB
Improvements to Grade I listed church approved
Wed 04 Aug 2010
Plans to improve a Grade I listed church in Staffordshire have been approved by the Court of Arches.
Holy Trinity Church in Eccleshall wants to add a staging platform to the front of the building, which dates back to the 12th century, by the east end of the nave.
According to The Reverend James Graham, the vicar at the church, this enhancement will make the building more "usable" for parishioners and the local community.
However, the proposals had originally been rejected by the Lichfield Consistory Court, which led to the case going before the Court of Arches.
Mr Graham said Eccleshall Church Council is "very pleased" that the plans have now been approved.
He added that the improvements have also been supported by bodies including English Heritage and the Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches.
The application had been rejected by Judge Marten Coates in November 2009 on the grounds that the raised area would be "too great".
Aiden Hargreaves-Smith, a partner at Winckworth Sherwood Solicitors and Registrar of the Diocese in Europe, commented: "This is a very helpful judgment, which goes into some detail both on the process to be followed in cases of this sort, and on the way in which chancellors should exercise their discretion when major reordering schemes are presented to them.
"Winckworth Sherwood regularly advises parishes in connection with the sensitive re-ordering and adaptation of churches, helping clients to ensure that their church buildings continue to be both spiritual and practical resources for the communities they serve."
