Religion Church up for sale as bishop concedes parish can’t afford upkeep
Holy Cross Church on Dean Lane is on the market
Currently, the church only has planning permission for community use as a place of worship, with the presbytery considered a residential dwelling.
Further conditions of the sale state that alternative planning consent must be successfully obtained on the site by the buyer, with an intended timescale for development in place.
There are restrictions in place to ensure that no new openings or windows are created that would overlook the adjacent Holy Cross Catholic Primary School. A decree about the church’s closure signed by the Right Reverend Declan Lang, Bishop of Clifton, on February 22 last year stated: “In recent years, it has become more difficult for the parish community to meet the substantial costs of maintaining the church building whilst at the same time having to face a large increase in the day -today costs associated with running a parish.”
“It is necessary to make new provisions for the spiritual care of the parishioners of Holy Cross.”
The bishop said the decision to close the church for good was taken “after much personal prayer and reflection, with some sadness”.
Holy Cross Church served a congregation of between 80-100 and still conducted Mass in Latin. In his decree, Mr Lang said: “Given the size of the parish community and the cost of the works needed, it is evident that the immediate financial demands on the parish community would be significant and unachievable.
“It would be an unrealistic expectation for such a small parish to be burdened with the potential repayment of any loan, potentially placing the parish in debt for decades to come. There are no other sources of income for funding to support the required works from any public or private body.
“It is clear that Holy Cross Parish would be unable to provide for the ongoing maintenance and upkeep and the necessary and urgent repairs to Holy Cross Church. The resources of the Diocese of Clifton are insufficient for preserving and maintaining the church.”
He added that a “shortage of priests” factored into consideration of what to do with the building.
Holy Cross Parish was established in 1872, and the present red brick building was consecrated in 1922.
In the 1960s, a four-bed detached presbytery was added next door to provide residences for the clergy and is attached to the church by a long corridor.