Church bid to take over warehouse in Aldridge

The Link Church wants to take over Ledra House in Northgate, which has say empty for more than two years with efforts to market the storage and office space proving unsuccessful.

The non-denominational church, which is made up of believers in Jesus Christ and led by Pastor Douglas Miller, uses Aldridge Community Centre for meetings and its Sunday services.

But it now wants to make Ledra House its permanent base as it looks to expand the congregation – currently made up of 12 members – and believes the new church will bring vitality to the area.

Walsall Council planners are currently considering the application to change the use of the building from business to a place of worship.

In the application, agent Alun Nicholas said: Ledra House has remained unoccupied and without a tenancy agreement being in place since August 2018, despite continual marketing efforts on the part of the landlord.

As a ‘stand alone’ office building, subject to an application being made for prior approval, Ledra House as a business unit could be lost to residential use, with only limited input from the local planning authority.

The application states: “It would therefore seem to be a pyrrhic, if not indeed punitive gesture by the local planning authority to refuse change of use on the grounds that the industrial use must be maintained, when the full circumstances are taken into consideration.

“The use of this building as a place of worship, primarily occupied at weekends and certain evenings, at which times other local occupiers will not be operational, will bring a vitality to this part of Northgate at times when it is otherwise somewhat sterile and unoccupied.

“With such vitality is brought the benefit of additional passive security to the adjacent and local properties.”