Fence bid to save seminary building
SEVEN-FOOT barriers could be erected outside a former seminary and college which is a frequent target for vandals and urban explorers.
Derwent Holdings wants to install heavy duty fences outside the former St Joseph’s College, former pupils of which include the comedian Johnny Vegas, amid fears that its poor condition could present a danger to the public.
The firm said intruders have stolen lead and guttering from the building in Up Holland in recent years, resulting in significant water damage which “threatens the integrity of the building”.
The site is popular with urban explorers – people who visit and photograph abandoned buildings – and was reportedly under constant trespass until fencing was installed in 2015.
The owners now say they must install higher barriers further from the building as a matter of urgency in order to protect those walking nearby.
An application to West Lancashire Borough Council says: “It may well be the case that the applicant has to undertake these proposed fencing works in advance of the formal issue of the consent in order to safeguard the site in the face of ongoing vandalism and trespass into the listed building.
“These episodes of vandalism resulted in significant cost and damage to the building, and by consequence of this and the potential danger to those in the act of trespass (by virtue of the building’s condition) the building must be appropriately secured to safeguard against unauthorised access.”
The seminary was established in the 1880s with what is now the west wing built between 1880 and 1883 by J O’Byrne for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Liverpool.
Between 1923 and 1930 the architect Pugin Powell enlarged it with three ranges forming a large quadrangle and a new main chapel to the west of the original building.
The Grade II listed building was most recently used as a theological college.
Its history has been tainted by a sex abuse scandal when former priest Michael Higginbottom was jailed last year for repeatedly raping a young pupil in the 1970s.
It has lain empty since 1999 and was included in West Lancashire’s Building at Risk register in 2006 because of the significant damage it has suffered and the cost needed to restore it.
It was listed as a Grade II building of historical interest in 1973, partly due to the Gothic architecture.
In 1989, the diocese submitted plans to convert part of it into a leisure centre and build 298 homes, a golf course and office space in the grounds of the building, only to withdraw the application when refusal was recommended.
Derwent says installing the higher barriers is essential to secure the building safety for any potential use.