A Watford church is up for sale with a £2 million price tag after being left semi-derelict for years.
St Thomas’ United Reformed Church closed at the end of 2015, as it looked set to be demolished to allow for a new church to be built in its place. The hope was that by selling the remainder of the land to be used for housebuilding it would be a self-funding scheme.
This failed to get off the ground despite getting planning approval from the borough council twice, and the Langley Road building – which suffers from “serious structural defects” according to the church – remains vacant but still standing.
- Watford church to be demolished and rebuilt
- The Chase star makes acting debut in Hertfordshire film
- Beloved restaurant's former home looks set to be demolished for houses
Today (September 9), a listing for the building through property consultancy Rapleys appeared online inviting offers in the region of £2 million.
It describes the church, opened in 1976, as a “residential redevelopment opportunity” due to being “in a semi-derelict condition and unfit for use additionally by virtue of energy efficiency, running cost, and internal layout”.
Nascot Ward councillor Mark Watkin explained that, since the plan was initially conceived, St Thomas’ has moved to share a location with North Watford Methodist Church and no longer has the same size congregation as it once did.
After the most recent planning permission expired in January 2023, the drive to build a new church petered out and the decision was taken to sell in August this year.
The Liberal Democrat said: “Personally I’m absolutely for it to be developed, it's horrible just to see it rotting away. But I would like to see some sort of community facility.”
The ground floor of the church also contains a gymnasium, a youth centre, and multiple meeting rooms including one larger one suitable for playgroup use.
Before 2015, these facilities were an important part of the Nascot community and though they have been out-of-use for almost a decade the councillor hopes any new development would re-provide the spaces.
“There isn’t anything you would call a community facility in Nascot now really,” he added.
The land up for sale covers just under one acre and has parking for 36 vehicles.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel