Crumbling Wolverhampton church to be demolished after spate of break-ins

Wolverhampton Council has given the go-ahead for St Teresa of the Infant Jesus Roman Catholic Church in Parkfields to be demolished, along with the church hall and a separate outbuilding.

Tom Cawley of the Restful Homes Group in Stonall, near Walsall had asked the council for its consent to demolish the buildings..

The work is due to begin next month, and is expected to be complete by June.

There has been a church at the site, on the corner of Birmingham New Road and Dimmock Street, since 1933. A new church was built in 1968, with the original being used as the parish hall. Both buildings will be demolished.

Mr Cawley said: "Structurally the building is in a bad condition and is subjected to constant break-ins."

He said all three buildings would be demolished with mechanical diggers, to minimise the need for workers to enter the structurally failing building.

The rubble would be crushed on site, he added.

Council planning officer Haley Johnson ruled that the demolition could take place, without the need for a formal planning application.

No services have been held at the church since 2022, and the building was recently placed on the market with an asking price of £1 million.

The Restful Home Group operates seven care homes across the West Midlands, including ones in Walsall and Cannock.