What can be done? And are there solutions that can benefit the vitality of the local area? The rescue of St. Paul’s Church will also be discussed at the seminar. It is a fascinating case. The Church of England wanted to demolish the church. The locals were totally opposed to the plan and when English Heritage (an organisation for the preservation of historic buildings) announced its opposition as well, a rescue operation was set in motion.
Together with a group of local residents, vicar Philippa Boardman got the people in the area and many others to fight for the preservation of the church. They wanted to give the building a new lease of life, but without chasing away the congregation.
The project has been a great success and the church is now a dynamic activity centre in the middle of the Bow district. St. Paul’s now houses both a small church and a community centre.
The worlds of faith, architecture and community care have joined forces in an exceptional covenant and the new St. Paul's is now highly active in combating the forces of alienation, loneliness and despair in the area.
St. Paul is a partner in the ReUrbA² project. The project received a ReUrbA subsidy and the experience acquired by St. Paul’s has also proved to be valuable input for the further development of the ReUrbA-method.