Fears for future of St Peter's Church under Wolverhampton revamp

The Westside Link development could cause real harm to the church, one of the most recognisable buildings in the city, Reverend David Wright has said.

The Wolverhampton Council plans will see a number of city centre streets pedestrianised and members of the church’s community have expressed concerns about its future.

The first phase of proposals could see nearby Victoria Street, Lichfield Street and Darlington Street paved over, reducing the amount of cars in the city centre.

'No consideration'

A public meeting, which was held at the church last week, was attended by council officers and councillors as well as around 50 churchgoers, with concerns raised about accessibility to the church for elderly and disabled people.

Fears were also raised that it would be cut off from the rest of the community and forced to close.

Reverend David Wright, the Rector of St Peter’s Church who hosted the public meeting, said: “Nobody from the council consulted the church or gave any consideration to our needs until the plans had been fully drawn up.

“For St Peter’s Church to be a viable faith community and open each day to the public, access to the church for our volunteers is essential.

“The current proposals include no disabled parking in the vicinity of St Peter’s which doesn’t require climbing steps or walking a long way to access the building.

“Unless this scheme is significantly altered, we may not be available as a community or venue for civic events at all.

“It isn’t alarmist to say that St Peter’s faces a real risk of being forced to close if this project goes ahead.”

Concerns

Conservative councillor Simon Bennett, who attended the public meeting, added: “There are some very serious and legitimate concerns about the council’s plans to pedestrianise large parts of the city centre.

“With many shops and businesses already struggling to attract customers, the council needs to be making it easier for people to come into the centre, not harder.

“As a member of the St Peter’s Church community myself, I’m particularly concerned about the impact these plans will have on elderly and disabled churchgoers who require close and easy access to the church.

“For them, the church is such an important part of their life and it would be sad to see them unable to continue participating in daily activities.”

Discussion

However Wolverhampton Council insist the plans have yet to be finalised and it is in discussions with members of the church.

Councillor John Reynolds, the cabinet member for city economy, said: “Plans have yet to be finalised on the Westside Link scheme as the consultation process continues - and we are keen to ensure easy access to key sites in the city centre for everyone.

“We are currently in discussions with a number of key stakeholder groups in the city, including members of the St Peter’s Church community.

“We have noted their concerns and are reviewing plans that would accommodate six new disabled parking bays in Wulfruna Street, as well as retain much of the current disabled parking in Exchange Street.

“We have also asked our designers to see if it is possible to install a ramp from Wulfruna Street to the Grade I-listed church’s accessible entrance and are looking at the option of offering the church some nearby permit parking.”

Endowed by Lady Wulfrun in 994 AD, the present church was built in 1425 and was integrated into the diocesan structure in 1848.

Today, the church is part of the Anglican Parish of Central Wolverhampton.