St Stephen’s Church – a new chapter?

Since the closure of the building of St Stephen’s Church on Bristol Road, the Diocese have been in discussion about it’s future. In summer 2020 the Diocese was approached by Gloucester Council to see if it might be possible to use the buildings and the site to develop housing for those in need in partnership with Rooftop who built the development on Frampton Corner. After many discussions, in July 2021 the Church Commissioners have given permission for the Diocese to go ahead with alternative use for the building which may include the demolition of the church itself.

We realise this building is a key part of the community and of many people’s lives, so as part of anything that does take place in the future we will be undertaking a project to collate family stories of the church so the memories and its place within people’s lives is not lost. If you have any photos or memories do email Rev Ruth or Rev Heather so we can begin to collate these.

Legal documents

There are two legal documents that the Church Commissioners have provided; one an explanatory note providing some background to the proposal and the other a draft scheme.

The proposal is for the existing building to be demolished and replaced with a purpose built community hub and social housing development and parking. If you would like more information on this proposal, you can email the Case Officer, Sarah Mellor by sarah.mellor@churchofengland.org. The opportunity to make a representation with regards to this proposal ended in July 2021.

Public consultation

There was a public consultation in July 2021 within the grounds of St Stephen’s Church to enable people to see the designs and the plans for not only housing with its own parking but also space for community use. Please see below for the boards displayed at the consultation.

The Diocese of Gloucester and Rooftop Housing Group have worked together in the past to create high quality, affordable homes at Frampton Corner on Linden Road and Jenkinson Close adjacent to St. Aldate’s Church and are excited to be working together at St. Stephen’s.

The views and aspirations of our communities are very important, so all were invited to this consultation event to review and discuss the proposals for the site.

The site as it is today