Important repairs are planned at Radstock’s beautiful church as the town council plans to turn it into a “flagship” library and hub for the town.
Radstock’s Trinity Methodist Church sits in the heart of the town with a grand frontage on Fortescue Road leading to a complex of rooms, which run through to Street Hall, on The Street.
The church was built with the support of the mining community in 1902. But 120 years later, with a building now too large and expensive to maintain for the dwindling confederation, it was closed in January 2022.
But the iconic building was saved from being sold off to developers, with Radstock Town Council buying with support of government and Bath and North East Somerset Council funding in 2024. Now important repairs are planned to the roofing and stonework, and an upgrade of its thermal insulation.
A statement submitted with the planning application said: “Radstock Town Council have purchased the former Trinity Methodist Church to re-purpose and re-generate the building as a community hub to accommodate the public library, town council offices and committee room.
“It is intended to be a flagship building for the town. The existing building is in a poor state of repair and a number of roofs are leaking significantly, causing on-going damage to the fabric of the building.”
The plans will also see a double door on the side of the building replaced with a new door with powered opening and a lightweight metal ramp.
The statement said: “Time has been spent considering access options to all the various existing entrances. The proposed solution seeks to balance the need for access for all against the existing fabric of the building recognising its architectural features and constraints that these provide.”