The future of a derelict church has been disputed after a local businessman submitted an application to transform the building into a mosque.
St John the Evangelist church in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent is a historic Grade II-listed building.
In the 1980’s, the church’s tower was declared unsafe and it has not been used as a place of worship since then when it was closed.
The building dates back to 1788 and was most recently used as an antiques centre and cafe, but the pandemic forced it to close its doors again in 2020.
Last year, the building was purchased for £140,000 by community interest company Darul Falah Mosque.
The plans to turn the church into a mosque were blocked by the Church Commissioner. Even though the Church of England has sold the building, there is a part of the contract which prohibits it becoming a place of worship for another religion.
Stoke-on-Trent council approved the plans in August but this was vetoed by the Church of England.
In the last census, a decline in the number of Christians in England and Wales was recorded – with the number of Christians falling below 50 percent for the first time to 46.2 percent.
In terms of other religions in the UK, the number of Muslims in England increased to 6.5 percent from 4.9 percent.
The church on Hanley’s Town Road has become a target for vandalism due to being out of use. Historic stained glass windows have been boarded up and there are security guards parked outside.
The plans for the church building have divided local residents with some saying they would like the building to be back in use, no matter what it becomes. Others would like to see the building stay as a church.
One person told The Telegraph that his grandparents got married at the church and to see it stop being used as a church “just seems so wrong”.
A spokesperson for the Church Commissioner said: “We support former churches being used for community purposes, but a restrictive covenant prohibits the use of the building as a place of worship other than as a church.”
During the August 2024 riots, the church was a key place where violent disorder took place as protestors took to the streets.
The anti-immigration riots began after three girls were stabbed in Southport in July – the unrest began following false rumours which spread online that the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker.
Misinformation also spread about the future and protection of the church site with some suggesting gravestones had been damaged by works which had been carried out on the building. However upon inspection, no further damage to the property was found.
Figures from earlier this year show that 3,500 churches closed in the past 10 years. In England, there are a further 900 places of worship on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register.