Plymouth church at risk of collapse

Calls to demolish St Peter's in Crownhill

Church leaders are asking for permission to demolish a Catholic church and adjoining presbytery at Crownhill built in the 1970 and 80s because it’s at risk of falling down.

Significant structural defects mean the St Peter’s Church in Boniface Lane should be demolished “as a matter of priority”, planning documents to Plymouth City Council say.

Diocese of Plymouth trustees closed the modern-looking church six months ago following professional advice from surveyors and engineers and the adjacent school hall and nearby parish church are being used instead for Mass.

Structural engineers found problems in the roof structure and said the central ring did not offer any vertical support and therefore each steel rafter was similar to a ladder leaning against a wall. 

They identified cracking and movement in the building and said the building was at risk of collapse.

Planning documents say: “A robust solution would be to reinstate the ring beams as intended with protection from the elements, however, this is not possible because of access and the shape of the building. 

“A compromise would be to install ties spanning across the building at eaves or install a ceiling and then reinforce the ring beams with continuous steel plates. We believe this, and all the associated temporary works, would be very expensive and extremely unsightly at best.

“Obviously, we cannot predict when the building will fail because we cannot see the whole picture to be able to build a model. But we can categorically state that this building is in very poor condition; it is potentially dangerous and should not be entered or approached in adverse weather when there will be an increase in load on the structure.”

The Diocese said: “Several options were thoroughly investigated; however, due to significant health and safety implications, it has been determined that the property should be demolished as a matter of priority”.