CONCERENED residents and parishioners in Coleford are ‘vehemently opposed’ to plans by the Church of England (CofE) to close the church of St John The Evangelist in Boxbush Road.

The Gloucester Diocese of the C of E wrote: “Church Commissioners are consulting Coleford community over plans to close St John the Evangelist Church, on Boxbush Road. The run-down building has been deemed unsafe for use and requires an estimated £1.8m of immediate repairs, an amount beyond the pockets of the local community. A proposal to close the church building has been put forward by the Parochial Church Council and is supported by the Diocese of Gloucester.

“The Archdeacon of Gloucester, the Venerable Jackie Searle, said: “Seeking the closure of any church building is a great sadness, but it is evident that St John’s is in a state of serious disrepair. The overall poor condition of the building and the estimated cost of restoration mean that difficult decisions have to be made. I believe the PCC’s decision to seek its closure is the right one and they have my support as they look to the flourishing of the Church for future generations in Coleford.”

Local vicar, the Rev Sarah Bick said: “A building fit for the Victorians is sadly no longer fit for us today. Put together the huge cost to restore the building to its Victorian glory and the cost of developing the building to make it fit for the mission and ministry of the church in the 21st century, and there’s no doubt that closing this building is the pragmatic thing to do, and the only viable solution.”

But members of the Friends of St John’s action group, which was set up to fight for the continued used of the building, as both a place of worship and a community resource, have hit back at the planned closure claiming correct procedures in line with the Church of England’s Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011 have not been followed.

In a statement, they wrote: “Despite the Archdeacon of Gloucester and Rev Sarah Bick’s attempts to persuade us the contrary, the responsibility for the closure of St Johns remains with the Church Commissioners in London and not the Diocese of Gloucester.

“The legal process of the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011 involves representations from the community of Coleford and discussions with the church commissioners, without which St John’s has not been, and cannot be, closed.

“Many people were fooled into thinking the church was closed in 2012 because it was unsafe.

“The £1.8 million quote for repairs to the church is meaningless, as it was not a competitive quote ­– it was commissioned by the PCC who, by their own admission, wanted the church closed. In the face of the Diocese’s refusal to provide a breakdown of this bogus figure, the friends of St John’s will be discussing an independant quote of our own with the church commissioners. We have reason to believe that the exhorbitant figure quoted by the Archdeacon is for the full restoration of the church, and not for essential repairs.”

In a meeting, specially convened to discuss the CofE plans for St John’s, which was held on Monday of this week, and which attracted around 20 people, the Friends have pledged to take their battle for the church directly to the Church Commissioners in London.