New plan to bulldoze 'unsound' fire-gutted Whitley Bay church

The former Trinity United Reform Church is "structurally unsound", developers say

A church gutted by fire four years ago could finally be demolished, a North Tyneside councillor has said.

Trinity United Reform Church in Whitley Bay opened in 1900 but was disused when it was destroyed in 2017.

However, plans to demolish it were scuppered due to legal wrangles with its owner and North Tyneside Council.

Now, a fresh proposal to bulldoze it has been submitted and local councillor John O'Shea believes it could be demolished "within months".

Dozens of firefighters tackled the blaze in May 2017 and neighbouring buildings were evacuated.

'Fantastic news'

Documents submitted as part of the application said the fenced-off building is "structurally unsound" and has become blighted by vandalism, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

After a second blaze, in June 2020, Mr O'Shea called for it to be flattened.

Then, in July, plans to build 28 flats on the site were submitted but were rejected after the developer refused to pay £92,716 in Section 106 contributions required by the council.

Section 106 (S106) Agreements - also known as planning obligations - are legal agreements about measures that the developer must take to reduce their impact on the community.

The new application to demolish the building has been lodged with the council.

Residents near the church were evacuated from their homes while firefighters tackled the blaze four years ago

Mr O'Shea said: "It is fantastic news for local residents and businesses. I anticipate that it will be demolished in the next couple of months.

"I expect that it will be redeveloped for housing. I would welcome some development on the site."