Historic church could become flats in new plans

A 143-year-old church could be converted into flats under new plans.

The former Hallam Street Methodist Church in West Bromwich, which closed last October, would be made into two-storey two and three-bed flats under the proposals.

The applicant, Avey Singh, previously sought to demolish the church and replace it with six new homes, but he was told to re-draw plans and use as much of the existing architecture and materials as possible.

A statement included with the application to Sandwell Council says following discussions with the authority's planners the scheme had adopted a "heritage-led approach".

The church has sat on the corner of Hallam Street and Lewisham Street since at least 1883.

It closed during the Covid pandemic in 2020 but reopened in 2023, and activities there included clubs and exercise classes.

But these stopped a few months before the building closed last year.

The new proposals also include four terraced homes which would be built after several extensions to the main church are demolished.

The statement said the site was "currently vacant and under-utilised following the cessation of its previous use as a place of worship".

It added the scheme had evolved "to adopt a heritage-led approach, prioritising the retention, conversion and long-term viable use of the historic church building, whilst enabling the efficient redevelopment of the remainder of the site".

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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