Church and housing association plan Cheshire building swap

Located on opposite sides of Sovereign Way in Chester West Employment Park, !Audacious Church and Sanctuary Group are considering trading places.

!Audacious is seeking a larger site to accommodate a growing congregation, while Sanctuary requires less space having adopted a hybrid working model that sees many of its staff work from home.

The church has seen its congregation more than double from 300 in 2017 to 800 today. The auditorium at its existing building can only hold 330 people.

As a result, the two companies have enlisted the help of Euan Kellie Property Solutions to secure the approvals necessary to make the swap happen.

Subject to planning approval, !Audacious will move out of its 9,000 sq ft unit and into Sanctuary’s 28,000 sq ft home, with the latter going in the opposite direction.

David Cox Architects is advising on the reconfiguration of Sanctuary’s head office into a church.

To learn more about the project, search for reference numbers 24/00957/FUL and 24/00941/FUL on Cheshire West and Chester Council’s planning portal.

!Audacious is also looking to expand elsewhere in the North West. In 2021, Salford City Council granted the church permission to significantly expand its site off Trinity Way.