Plans to demolish listed church for safety reasons

The stone tower at St Paul's in Truro is beyond repair and could be demolished

A Grade II listed church in Cornwall dating back to Victorian times could be demolished for safety reasons.

St Paul's on Tregolls Road in Truro, which was built in the 1840s, has been closed to the public for more than 15 years.

The Diocese of Truro said the stone in the tower was starting to break apart and the structure was affected by subsidence.

It said a public consultation would now take place over demolishing it, with work possibly starting next year.

'Starting to fail'

Simon Cade, diocesan secretary, said the polyphant stone used to construct the tower was experiencing a problem known as delamination - causing it to fragment.

"Our Victorian forebears used a type of stone which can't stand up to 21st Century pollution," he said.

"The stonework on the tower is starting to fail and there's no known technical solution to this challenge.

"Because we can't solve that we can't make the tower safe."

Simon Cade, from the Diocese of Truro, said there was no other option but to demolish the church

As the church is listed, Cornwall Council will need to grant special permission to demolish it.

It is also part of the city's conservation area, restricting what could take its place.

The diocese said it it was due to hold a consultation event in November to explain its proposals to the public.

Deputy diocesan secretary Kate Cortez said: "Some people will have some grief about that process - people see churches as part of the landscape.

"We've really tried to keep this church open and look after it, but it's just not the right thing for this building."

A consultation would also take place with organisations including Historic England the Victorian Society about what to do with furniture and artefacts inside the church, she added.