Moves to transform an empty Plymouth city centre shop into a church could prove to be the salvation of the high street.
With the decline of bricks-and-mortar retail city centres are seeing empty units filled with new uses – and in Plymouth one could become a place for community work and worship and draw people back to the area.
A planning application has been submitted to change the use of a two-storey former homeware store in the heart of the main retail drag into a community space run by an independent church – and it would include Sunday services.
Plymouth Vineyard Church wants to take over the Cornwall Street store previously home to family-run chain Lawsons and use it for community outreach work, training, meetings, workshops, offices, and as “worship space”, hosting Sunday services and “worship events that might take place in evenings”.
The property, owned by Yelverton Properties, was home to Lawsons until it closed in summer 2020, with Liz Lawson, great-granddaughter of founder Tom Lawson, blaming the Covid pandemic for exacerbating an already declining footfall in the city centre.
In March 2021 Plymouth Vineyard Church launched a crowdfunding appeal to finance a move from its existing premises in Kinterbury Street, also in the city centre but away from the main shopping area.
In the new building the church wants to create a flexible space, the uses of which will vary from day to day, but it is likely that the building will be used to expand The Children’s Storehouse, a service which collects baby and children’s equipment, toys, books, clothing for all ages of children, bed linen and towels, which are given free to disadvantaged families.
It also wants to carry out mental health training and outreach through a new Mosaic project and other mental health-related programmes that are in development, and house Uniform Store Plymouth, which will provide free school uniforms and help to address child poverty.
The two-storey building would also provide office and meeting space, provide a venue for church events and conferences, training and workshops, parent and toddler groups, and worship space.
A document lodged with Plymouth City Council said the organisation was forced to relocate from its existing premises in in March 2021 and added: “We are a church that is passionate about our community and wanting to bring life and hope to the city of Plymouth.
“We want to play our part as a partner in promoting the social, economic, environmental, and spiritual wellbeing of the city.
“We want to create a vibrant centre for community in the heart of Plymouth, full of activity throughout the week. It will be a flexible space able to host our existing community projects and create space for more and provide space for other groups with a heart for serving the city.
“Our proposal to create a new Vineyard Centre will not only bring an empty city centre shop into reuse but it will also provide for valuable uses which both draw people into the city centre and also serve the current and future city centre community. It will therefore support physical social and economic regeneration objectives and contribute to the city’s Resurgam programme.”
It concluded: “This proposal will provide a sustainable use for the property which would otherwise be unoccupied. It will also allow Plymouth Vineyard Church to continue and expand their work vital services for those in the city who are most in need.
“An attractive and appropriate street-facing elevation will be maintained to contribute to a high-quality urban environment in Plymouth’s ever-changing city centre. The proposed new uses will increase footfall to the area at a range of times bringing additional vibrancy and variety Cornwall Street.”
