EMMANUEL Church Leftwich has announced new plans to build a new building on its Old Hall Road site.

Plans to build a new church on Leftwich Green were approved in May 2017, but have now been abandoned after a wait of more than two years to secure the land.

Instead, it is proposed that the current building in Old Hall Road will be demolished and a new, improved church built in its place.

As well as better accessibility and community resources, the new build would also accommodate the church's growing congregation.

For the past two years, the church has met in the main hall of Leftwich Community Primary School – something the church says it is grateful, but is not sustainable.

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This was the key reason behind initial plans for Leftwich Green, and a Heads of Terms agreement was signed with Cheshire West and Chester Council in 2017 to transfer the land under leasehold agreement.

There has been no update from CWAC since then.

Northwich Guardian:

An artist's impression of the previous plans for Leftwich Green, approved in 2017

Pastor Dyfan Williams said: “The needs of the church and of the local community are urgent and it is not feasible for us to wait indefinitely for an asset transfer decision from the council.

"We have also taken into consideration feedback from members of the local community and have decided that, in order to move ahead quickly, we will instead demolish our existing building and use the land where it now stands."

The proposed new building will be able to properly accommodate all current church activities, with the addition of modern kitchen facilities, increased meeting space and a flexible layout.

Assuming planning permission can be obtained in good time, it is expected that the demolition of the existing building and subsequent new build would commence in the first half of 2020.

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After the construction work begins the church will be unable to host its many weekday activities for several months.

These include such as children's clubs, a senior citizens group and a parent and toddler club, as well as a service for people affected by dementia and a food bank.

Church trustee Gordon Kearney said: “We are looking for ways to keep our weekly events going while the new church is being built and are beginning our search for suitable meeting spaces, halls or large rooms where we could continue to offer our existing services to the community.

"It would be great to hear from anyone in the local area who could help us in this respect."