I am always on the lookout for property that I can convert or apply for change of use, into either serviced offices, or some other type of commercial property.
I have done quite well out of converting pubs in the past, as I have taken advantage of the decline in Britain’s pub culture to make a profit. And now it seems as though the next declining sector of society that could see profits made is the gradual erosion of the church.
According to one group of experts, thousands of churches are facing closure, demolition or conversion in the next decade. This could lead to the demise of some branches of Christianity in Europe.
In some parts of the country, former churches are being turned into centres of worship for other faiths. A disused Methodist chapel in Clitheroe on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales is the latest, now destined to become a mosque for the town’s 300 Muslims.
A generation ago the churches in Britain seemed unassailable. The first mosques in Britain opened at the end of the 19th century, but by 1961 there were just seven mosques, three Sikh temples and one Hindu temple in England and Wales. In comparison, there were nearly 55,000 Christian Churches.
Sometimes, with denominations such as the Methodists split into three types, there could be as many as seven or eight churches in one small town to cater for Roman Catholics, Anglicans and different groups of Protestants.
By 2005 the number of churches had fallen to 47,600. According to the organisation Christian Research, another 4,000 are likely to go in the next 15 years.
In the Church of England alone, which still has 16,000 churches, 1,700 have been made redundant since 1969.
Methodist churches, down from 14,000 in 1932 to 6,000, and closing at the rate of 100 a year, are often sold with no restrictive covenant attached.
Many of these buildings are unsuitable for conversion to residential but are perfect for shared office space. So, find them, make an offer and let’s give that old church a new lease of life.
