Another 11 local church housing projects get grant boost
St Mary Magdalene in Norwich diocese hopes to build 5-6 affordable homes and replace the community hall behind the church.
The Archbishops Council Housing Project’s grants committee met on November 19th to review a further 13 applications for grants to kick start local church housing projects.
The committee decided to award a total of £254,740 to 11 projects, with an average grant of £23,158. The successful projects included three led by dioceses and nine by parishes. This now brings the total awards made from the grant scheme this year to £754,740, supporting 35 housing projects.
“It’s really encouraging to see applications coming in from all round the country,” said grants committee member Canon Andrea Titterington. “We have sites from Blackburn and Chester dioceses in the North West, from Birmingham and Coventry in the Midlands, Norwich diocese in the East, then from Gloucester, Bristol and Bath & Wells in the South West, and finally Southwark, Winchester and Chelmsford dioceses in the South East. Participation from parishes in some of the most deprived areas as well as better off ones shows that this project is reaching a diverse range of social and economic contexts, which is exactly what we were hoping for!”
One of the grants was made to St Mary Magdalene Church in Gorleston, just south of Great Yarmouth. The project proposes a redevelopment of part of the church site to deliver five or six affordable one-bedroom homes alongside a new community hall. The existing hall is nearing the end of its life, with rising maintenance costs and asbestos concerns, making replacement urgent. The project also includes essential repairs to the church building.
The proposal involves using underused land currently contained within the vicar's garden, but owned by the PCC, to deliver both modern community facilities and much-needed affordable homes. Assuming planning permission is obtained, the homes will be built in partnership with Broadland Housing Association, ensuring the homes would be professionally managed and remain affordable long-term, offering secure tenancies and a supportive community environment.
The grant of £20,860 will be used to fund site surveys, legal advice, land valuation and project support leading to submitting a pre-application to the local planning authority. This initial phase is crucial to test feasibility, secure planning support, and prepare the church for partnership.
The lead Bishop for Housing, Rt Revd Guli Francis-Dehqani, commented earlier on the grants programme. “This is an exciting and significant step forward for the Church, as more and more parishes and dioceses are thinking creatively about the land and buildings that God has entrusted to them. These small grants will enable PCCs to start turning burdensome buildings into a means of helping people who are in dire need of decent, affordable homes, and of strengthening the congregation’s witness and service in the community.”
The next grant round will open early in 2026, with a deadline for applications at the end of February; for more information on how to apply, please visit https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/housing-project#na