Oldham Council has reached an agreement in proceedings against the owners of a Shaw church.

The latest hearing in the case of the owners of St Paul's Methodist Church was due to take place last week (October 24), with the six owners all accused of 'causing the execution of the demolition, alteration or extending of a building which affected its listed character'.

Since St Paul's Methodist Church, on Rochdale Road in Shaw, is a Grade-II listed building, any major work requires planning approval. 

Shamin Ahmed, 52, Mohammed Shomsul Hussain, 65, Musharaf Miah, 50, Mohammed Abdur Rahim,62, Abdul Hakim, 51, and Gujar Ali, 50, were alleged to have caused unauthorised works for the removal of the inner wall of the building which caused the collapse of the south eastern wall facing Rochdale Road.

The hearing, set to be held at Liverpool and Knowsley Magistrates Court last week, was adjourned due to the council having reached an agreement with the six.

Oldham Council confirmed the local authority had been satisfied that the owners would now comply with legal requirements.

Cllr Elaine Taylor, deputy leader of Oldham Council, whose decent homes portfolio covers planning, said: “Oldham Council is committed to preserving the borough’s heritage and also working with the owners of historic buildings so they can be used by members of the public.

“The council started legal proceedings against the owners of St Paul’s after unauthorised works were carried out on the building.

“However, the council has subsequently received assurances from the owners to meet all the legal conditions required to protect and repair the building.

“They’ve also agreed to meet with members of Shaw & Crompton Town Council to discuss ways to improve community engagement and possible community uses of the area in front of the building, including the memorial garden.

“Our officers will continue to monitor the situation closely and we have informed the owners that if the agreed steps are not followed we reserve our right to take enforcement action against them.”

The conditions of the agreement include submitting new plans for the proposed works to the building associated with the planning application and listed building consent application, protecting the remaining original stonework and any listed features, and allowing council officers on site to carry out all necessary investigations.

The church has been the subject of heated controversy after it fell into disrepair under the ownership of the Methodist Church and was consequently sold.

The current owners have submitted plans to Oldham Council and the developer in charge of the project, Don Hobson, said in August that they hoped to build a peace garden in the graveyard of the church. 

Initial plans submitted to the council for the building of a new car park stated graves would be cleared, which led many to believe the car park would be built on top of existing graves.

However, Mr Hobson clarified that the wording of the plans was referring to cleaning up the area of the graves, which has been covered by overgrowth.

A local campaign group has also been set up, hoping to protect the church's heritage and gaining the application more than 150 objections.