St John the Divine in Fairfield _220
CAMPAIGNERS last night claimed a victory for people power after it was announced a threatened Victorian church spire in Fairfield, Liverpool, has been saved from demolition.
The church council of St John the Divine has agreed a deal which has rescued the spire of the church.
They agreed to sell the building to developers Huyton-based DDL90 at a much reduced cost, in return for an agreement that the spire will remain intact. It followed a concerted effort from local heritage campaigners, councillors, and the charity Save Britain’s Heritage, whose expert stonemasons proved the building had a financially viable future.
Last night, Jonathan Brown, of Merseyside Civic Society, said: “We regret the diocese had to be shamed by public outrage into doing the right thing, but congratulate them for eventually seeing the light. We are also very grateful to the Daily Post for its coverage of the story.”
Liverpool Diocese decided in June that the spire had to be knocked down because the structure might collapse and costs of repair were prohibitive.
The church won a special court case to allow it to demolish the spire in September, but only yesterday announced the deal to save it.
Last night, the city’s historic environment champion Cllr Berni Turner; Cllr Colin Eldridge, who campaigned to save the spire, and Fairfield’s Cllr Louise Baldock said they were delighted by the decision.
And the Venerable Ricky Panter, Archdeacon of Liverpool, said the case showed the dilemma facing many of the diocese’s churches. “On this occasion, the church council were able to agree a rescue package, but this isn’t always the case and sometimes difficult decisions have to be made”.
