Audacious Church lodges revised expansion plans

Plans for a five-storey link building and a seven-storey car park are included in amended proposals to extend the Salford church to accommodate its growing congregation.

The 38,000 sq ft link building, featuring offices, toilets and other facilities, would connect the existing Audacious Church, a single-storey steel building off Bury Street, with the proposed 364-space car park.

A smaller, two-storey extension to the rear of the church is proposed to provide additional storage, according to the planning application. 

The scheme is designed to boost the existing 1,400-capacity of the venue, which regularly welcomes more than 5,500 people across three services every Sunday.

The church, founded 13 years ago, currently leases space within the neighbouring Deva Centre to make up for a shortage of space within its facilities.

In 2017, Salford City Council granted Audacious Chruch consent for a larger expansion of the site, which included increasing the capacity of the church and adding a five-storey extension to the building’s north-east elevation, a multistorey car park, and a seven-storey link building featuring a café, kitchen, foyer and children’s play space. 

However, elements of the original plan have since been scaled back or, in the case of the north-east elevation extension, removed. The extant consent is due to expire next month.

The revised brief for the redevelopment and expansion of the church concentrates on “meeting the needs of the church for the next 5-10 years, based on its existing level of growth”, according to a design and access statement prepared by Preston-based David Cox Architects. 

“The scale of the project is likened to a modern-day cathedral, a true landmark that announces what it is to passers-by through its size and appearance”, the statement adds. 

It is also conceded that at present, the church’s modest appearance is “uninspiring and adds very little to the street scene” the architect said. 

Euan Kellie Property Solutions is the planning consultant for the project. 

Your Comments

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Why does seemingly everything have a flat roof these days? Even a new church…

By LionelRichTea

Brilliant!!

By Ebije Owoicho

Oh happy day

By E Hawkins

@Lionel – most of what you see in the image is actually a multi storey car park

By Raj

A modern-day Cathedral Car Park

By CCP

Just another multi storey car park when there are two at New Bailey. What about quality of life for local residents? We should be encouraging less cars not more. Profit before people. The earth was given to us as custodians not to exploit.

By Maggie

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