Campaigners boosted as Cleveleys church building added to Risk Register

A campaign to save a former church building on the Fylde coast from demolition has been boosted by national recognition of its heritage value.

Ian French and Mark Butcher set up a petition to try and stop Cleveleys United Reformed Church from being bulldozed after a planning application was lodged with Wyre Council back in February.

The application, yet to be decided on, is for the demolition of the church building on Rossall Road, which is no longer in use, and the construction of a new food and convenience store.

The applicant is listed as Andrew Garnett, of developer Breck Holdings Limited, but no mention has been given at this stage of the retail company which would occupy the store. It is believed Breck Holdings owns the property.

However, the application has prompted objections from local campaigners and several of the country’s leading heritage organisations, including Save Britain’s Heritage, the Twentieth Century Society, Historic Buildings & Places and the Council for British Archaeology.

Now the church has recently been included on Save Britain’s Heritage’s Buildings at Risk Register 2026, making it one of only a small number of newly added buildings in Lancashire and highlighting growing national concern over its future.

The original church was designed by Edward Percy Briggs and opened in 1921, before being substantially enlarged in 1932 to the designs of Daniel Wynne-Thomas FRIBA, of the Bolton practice Wynne-Thomas and Button.

Wynne-Thomas’ work included the prize-winning North Wales National Heroes’ Memorial.

Campaigner Mr French has been encouraged by national response and said: “The Council for British Archaeography’s Listed Building Casework and Advocacy Manager has recently confirmed that the organisation intends to submit further objections to Wyre Council.

“In correspondence with me, they state that they do not believe demolition is necessary to achieve the proposed development, question the sustainability case, raise concerns regarding the loss of embodied carbon in a structurally sound building, and suggest that alternative forms of adaptive reuse should be fully considered before demolition is accepted.

“Alongside the national heritage response, there has also been significant local opposition, with a public petition approaching 1,000 signatures and a large number of objections submitted to Wyre Council.

“With a planning decision expected shortly, I believe this presents an opportunity to tell a much wider story—not only about the possible loss of one of Cleveleys’ most distinctive twentieth-century buildings, but also about the rediscovery of an overlooked Lancashire architect whose work is beginning to receive renewed attention.”

A Heritage Statement on behalf of the applicant said: “The former church does not have any significant historic, architectural, artistic, or archaeological interest.

“Whilst the Council has suggested that the building may be regarded as a non-designated heritage asset, it should be considered as being of very limited heritage significance.

“This is reflected in the building’s relatively recent construction, lack of distinctive architectural qualities, absence of archaeological interest, and limited cultural and community value, as evidenced by its vacancy and deconsecration.”

The Planning Statement concludes: “Particular weight should be attached to the benefits of using vacant previously developed land in a highly sustainable location to serve the needs of the local community.

But Mr Butcher, well known on the Fylde coast for his previous work with the homeless via the charity Amazing Graze and his role as chairman for Blackpool & Fleetwood Reform UK branches, said: “To close a church down is a sad enough thing, because these buildings have played a vital part in our communities, they have offered people hope. To actually demolish a church would be a tragedy.”