143-year-old Black Country church could be converted into flats under new plans

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

A planning application has been submitted to Sandwell Council asking for permission to convert the 143-year-old former Hallam Street Methodist Church in West Bromwich into new flats and homes.

The former Methodist church, which closed in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic having sat on the corner of Hallam Street and Lewisham Street since at least 1883, would be divided and converted into two-storey two and three-bed flats.

Clubs and exercise classes had stopped at the Hallam Street church a few months earlier.

Several extensions to the main church would be demolished and replaced with four four-bed terraced homes, the application by Avey Singh said. 

Under previous proposals, the church would have been demolished and replaced with six new homes – which drew concerns from Sandwell Council’s planners and conservation officers over the loss of the building.

Mr Singh was advised to redraw the plans to reflect the building’s character saying the designs needed to be “careful and sympathetic” and use as much of the existing materials and architecture as possible. 

A statement included with the application said: “The site comprises previously developed land in a sustainable residential location, currently vacant and underutilised following the cessation of its previous use as a place of worship. 

“The principal church building is considered to represent a non-designated heritage asset and makes a positive contribution to the character of the area. 

“The proposed development has evolved discussions with the local planning authority, which raised concerns regarding the loss of the church building under earlier redevelopment proposals. 

“In response, the scheme has been fundamentally reconfigured 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.”