Currently a temporary surface car park. Formerly occupied by Great Victoria Baptist Church.
The former Great Victoria Street Baptist Church was built between 1863 – 1866 at a cost of c£6,000, to a design by William Hastings, then a member of the congregation. In 1944 the church purchased land to the rear of the church and developed a church hall in 1961.
McAleer & Rushe Group and Todd Architects submitted a planning application (Z/2008/0858/F) in April 2008 proposing to demolish the church building and develop a ten-storey building comprising 26no. basement car parking spaces, church and ancillary halls at ground and first floor and office accommodation above. The application was approved in March 2010.
Church services relocated permanently from the church building to the rear church halls in February 2011.
A planning application (Z/2011/1499/F) submitted in December 2011 proposed demolition of the church building and creation of a temporary surface car park. The application was approved in August 2012 with a condition that the surface car park be permitted for one year until August 2013. A planning application (Z/2014/0005/F) submitted in January 2014 proposed to amend the above condition. As the church building had not been demolished by January 2014 the application proposed amending the condition to read: “the car park hereby permitted, shall be discontinued, on or before 1 year from the date at which the car park becomes operational”. The application to amend the condition no.1 of approval Z/2011/1499/F was approved in April 2014.
Demolition of the 1866 church building commenced on 28th July 2014 and was completed by the end of September 2014.
A planning application (LA04/2015/1339/F) submitted in November 2015 sought permission for a temporary surface level private car park on the site of the demolished church for a period of up to 2 years. The application description was amended and permission was granted in October 2016 for a “temporary surface level private car park (non fee paying) for use of church for a period of up to 1 year”.
Great Victoria Street Baptist Church submitted a planning application (LA04/2018/1716/F) in June 2018 proposing to retain the existing temporary surface car park for a period of five years. The application was approved for a period of two years from April 2019.
Great Victoria Street Baptist Church submitted a planning application (LA04/2021/1157/F) in February 2021 proposing to develop a replacement church building.