August 10, 2022 7.00 pm This story is over 18 months old

Lincoln warehouse preparing for Christian conversion

Building to be Alive with the sound of prayer

Plans to convert a North Hykeham manufacturing and construction supplier into a new church for nearly 200 worshippers have been submitted.

Alive Church, whose head office is based at Newland in Lincoln, said its Church in the South of Lincoln has grown to a point where it was no longer feasible to keep hiring venues, instead looking for a permanent premises.

It has applied to North Kesteven District Council to convert the Cromwell Tools building on Station Road into a place of worship.

Documents submitted to the authority say the new Christian Church will provide Sunday morning services for between 150-200 people along with mid-week activities such as community events.

Minor alterations will be made to the building to turn the existing warehouse into an auditorium.

“We plan to bring a fresh lease of life to the building and community including increasing employment, while sympathetically changing the use of the building so it may return to industrial purposes if ever not fit for our purpose,” said the church’s application form.

A further planning statement added: “We see this premises as a Light for the local community, with projects tackling food poverty, money management and debt counselling, isolation caused both by the pandemic and situational or age related isolation, children’s and youth projects, metal health support, family support, and much more.”

Organisers said efforts will be made to dampen sound within the venue, while the building has exclusive use of 26 spaces on site, alongside further parking on Freeman Road.

Alive Church runs a number of schemes within the city including a foodbank and a Charity Acts Trust.

It notes that although initially there would be three to five full-time equivalent jobs created, those behind the plans hope to develop the facility further in the future, for example as a community or conference space or for weddings and other events if it is successful.

NOTE: This story previously referred to the warehouse as being the former Cromwell Tools. It has since been clarified that the business, which is in the process of relocating to a new site on the newly-built Leafbridge Development, still owns and occupies the building. We are happy to clarify this.