Normanton Baptist Church, West Yorkshire

Normanton Baptist Church in West Yorkshire, which dates back to 1877, was ravaged by a fire which caused severe damage to the church and also to an attached redundant hall and house.

Our building surveyors had already been working with the church for five years, providing guidance on party wall matters in connection with a neighbouring development as well as advice on building repairs and the potential re-development of the hall and house.

The team was therefore appointed to act as lead consultant, project manager and designer on the project to reinstate the church and other buildings.

The serious damage gave an opportunity to consider how to repair the buildings and, at the same time, make significant improvements.

Over 18 months, our building surveyors worked closely with the church and its insurers, exploring options to create a high quality building fit for the modern age.

During the construction phase, we also dealt with the impact of the financial collapse of the original main contractor when the company went into administration and negotiated the appointment of a new contractor to complete the project.

The re-modelling included creating a flexible multi-use ground floor, alterations to a balcony and the addition of a new meeting room, together with a kitchen and toilet facilities.  The external building fabric was also fully refurbished and repaired.

All of the mechanical and electrical services had been destroyed by the fire, requiring a new design strategy. As a result, underfloor heating, state of the art services, lighting, PA and audio visual facilities were installed.

The work attracted high praise from the church and local community. Future plans include converting the house, which has been left as a shell, into apartments and further developments to the hall to create a community facility.