Second Catholic church in Oldham to be demolished

Permission has been granted to demolish Sacred Heart RC Church on Whetstone Hill Road, Derker, only days after St Mary's Church and Presbytery on Ruth Street was approved for demolition.

Applications were lodged back in May by the Diocese of Salford which looked to have the two churches knocked down, however just weeks after the applications were sent, they were withdrawn.

The Diocese of Salford previously said that both churches were not in use and had fallen into a "dilapidated and derelict state of late due to vandalism".

When approached for comment when the plans were withdrawn, the diocese said it was to allow for additional environmental surveys to be taken and that once they were completed, the plans would be resubmitted.

Plans for the two demolitions were resubmitted in August, and now both applications have been approved within a matter of days.

Sacred Heart RC opened in 1952 and included a presbytery, added to the site between 1958 and 1959, which was accessed through a corridor.

According to a Bat Survey Report from Middleton Bell Ecology, the empty land which will be left following the church's demolition will be used to provide sports pitches for St Theresa’s RC Catholic School, which sits adjacent to the church. 

The interior of the nave (Image: Middleton Bell Ecology via Oldham Council planning portal)

Like the approval for St Mary's, conditions have been set over the hours during which demolition works can take place.

The hours are the same as those for St Mary's with works only being allowed to take place between 8am and 6pm from Monday to Friday and between 9am and 1pm on Saturdays so as not to cause any major disruption or disturbances to nearby residents.

This includes no work being carried out on Sundays or bank holidays.

The Bat Survey Report said there were no sightings of bats and no evidence of bats roosting in the structure, however, if a bat was to be sighted during the demolition, works must cease.