Anger at flats plan for disused church hall

St John’s Church Hall – in the Rogerstone area of the city – could be converted into social housing as part of Newport City Homes’ planned regeneration work in the area.

Word of the proposed church hall conversion broke earlier this month. A petition to oppose the redevelopment of the church hall – which is next to an active graveyard – now has over 500 signatures.

A petition to save the church hall has more than 500 signatures.

Sue Parker, who lives in Rogerstone, said the building played an important social role in the community.

“This used to be a focal point for the community of Rogerstone,” Ms Parker told the Argus.

“And until it was condemned a number of years ago, was a very busy place, with bazaars, coffee mornings, brownies, guides to name a few.

“If the proposed flats did go ahead and there wasn’t any availability for parking on the land, where would the tenants of these flats park as Wern Terrace is already very busy and has parking restrictions on part of it.

“The Church Hall has been used for many years by the community and I'm sure If we had all known about the need for renovation all those years ago, we could have got together and raised money to stop its demise.”

The graveyard immediately opposite the church hall.

Residents have also questioned the choice of location for the proposed flats and the Church in Wales’ decision to sell the site.

St John’s Hall also sits next to a graveyard that is still visited regularly.

“The entire area behind the church hall has graves and burial plots where people still go and tend to them,” Ms Parker added.

“And as there are other parts of Rogerstone where flats are being built this is not the place for them and it should be kept as a community building for everyone to enjoy.”

Residents are now pushing to raise funds in order to restore the church hall to use as a community space. 

Church in Wales and Newport City Homes have been approached for comment.

The petition opposing the development plans for St John’s Church Hall can be viewed here: https://bit.ly/3llw4i1.

What do the plans show?

Though no formal planning application has been submitted to Newport City Council, a detailed regeneration plan has been mapped out by Newport City Homes.

If approved, the work would involve demolishing 23 existing flats on Oak Road and replacing them with newly built homes.

Oak Road flats could be demolished and rebuilt.

Part of this includes plans to renovate St John’s Church Hall into six flats.

A spokesperson for Newport City Homes said: "We understand from the church that they looked into the possibility of accessing grant funding some time ago to carry out the repairs, they were advised that given the proximity of other community facilities in the local area it was unlikely that they would be successful with any bid for grant money so they approached Housing Justice to seek a buyer.

"As part of our process of considering the best option for the site and assessing whether to buy the site we have had conversations with community groups in the area to see whether there might be any interest in taking on the church hall for continued community use.

"Due to the current state of the building and the estimated costs involved in bringing it up to a standard where it can be used for the community, there was no interest in taking this further.

"During this time as part of our assessment of whether to buy the site, we have looked at various options, including demolition of the existing building and replacing it with new flats or houses.

"We have developed a design whereby the existing building is retained and converted into six one-bedroom apartments, this would preserve the existing character of the site while providing much-needed accommodation in the area. Rogerstone is an area identified by the Local Authority as being in need of new homes.

"We completely understand the need for privacy, both for those visiting the graveyard and for any future residents of the building and we will be looking at the best option to provide this, whether this would be fencing or planting or a combination of both."

More details of Newport City Homes’ plans can be viewed here: https://bit.ly/3wyu8YD.