Birch church survey launched as campaigners push to save building

Members of Birch InSpire, the group set up to protect the Church of St Peter and St Paul, have sent out a survey as they look to prove the community’s determination to keep the 170-year-old building alive.

The church has stood in the village of Birch since the 1850s but seemed destined for demolition in July last year.

Support - Priti Patel has supported the Birch InSpire campaign (Image: Birch InSpire) Campaigners then stepped in and put forward a business plan to the Chelmsford Diocese outlining how refurbishing the church – and its 110ft spire – could be financially viable.

Birch InSpire is now tasked with proving to the diocese the level of public support to save the church.

The survey, which is available at tinyurl.com/BirchInspire and is also being delivered to residents in Birch and Layer Breton, offers people ten different options for the church’s future.

The shortlist for community uses proposed in the survey includes a community shop with local farm produce, a cafe, a memorial garden, a mental health well-being hub, a community space for daytime activities, museum, or educational space.

Survey - Loess Overbury-Tapper is encouraging people to fill out a survey on Birch Church before results are handed to the parish council and Chelmsford Diocese (Image: Loess Overbury-Tapper) The final two options involve an option for new suggestions or demolishing the church altogether.

The survey is open until Sunday, December 8 and results will then be reported to Birch Parish Council and Chelmsford Diocese.

Chair of Birch InSpire, Loess Overbury-Tapper, said the survey represents “the last chance saloon” for the church, adding demolition would be a certainty without a clear show of support from the community.

She said: “After working with the Diocese for the last 12 months, we now have an opportunity to restore some or all of Birch Church, minimally the spire.

Striking - the Birch church spire is 110ft tall (Image: Birch InSpire) “The objective is to create a community asset that will generate income for the maintenance of the restored area.

“The Diocese and Birch InSpire have put together a shortlist of possible community uses which follow in this survey. It is likely that the final project will include a combination of uses. 

“We really need your views, however, you feel about the future of Birch Church.

"We cannot hope to save any part of the church without a clear, supported majority, from a good number of respondents.”