First look at proposed bungalows at Black Country church
These are the "beautiful" bungalows that officials hope will save a historic Bilston church from closure.
Thousands of pounds is needed to safeguard the future of Grade II-listed St Mary the Virgin Church in Gorge Road, Hurst Hill.
A planning application has been submitted to Wolverhampton Council seeking permission to demolish the church's derelict, vandal-hit hall and build two bungalows in its place.
Once that permission is secured, the church will sell the land to a developer as it looks to raise almost £300,000 for new facilities.
And these artist impressions show how the proposed bungalows will look next to the 19th century church.
A previous inspection revealed £30,000 worth of repairs was required to the church while a further £25,000 was needed for St Mary’s Activity Centre hall.
Because there was only enough money to fund repairs to the church building, the hall has been closed and has become a magnet for anti-social behaviour and vandalism.
Many services run in the hall were moved inside the church but a number of activities cannot be held without an upgrade of facilities which are estimated to cost £290,000.
Vicar Rev Emma Stanford said: "The community deserves better. The Activity Centre has served the church and community for more than 40 years but it’s no longer viable.
"We simply can’t afford to maintain the church and the centre. Our priority is to save the church and we want to use the money from the sale of land to provide community facilities inside.
"When money allows, we want to install toilets a small kitchen and meeting rooms.
"We want to replace what is now an ugly derelict building with two beautiful bungalows and at the same time ensure survival of the church.
"We’ve submitted a planning application and once approved and the land is sold a developer will be good to go."
The Activity Centre was built in the mid 1970s and was funded by church members and local donations. Before this the site was occupied by St Mary’s Junior school which was built in 1874.
Architectural consultant Andrew Denham of Eclipse Architecture, said: "We’ve designed two lovely contemporary bungalows which will complement the Grade II listed church beautifully.
"The design includes zinc roofs, rainwater gutters and down pipes, oak boarding, stone cladding and aluminium double-glazed windows.
"They will sit lower than the current Activity Centre making the church more visible from the road."
