Former Church Sites

Josh Babarinde, the Member of Parliament for Eastbourne, asked what steps the Church is taking to support the development of housing on derelict former church sites. Marsha De Cordova, the Government's representative, responded that when a church is closed, a formal legal process is followed, and there are currently 127 cases where a new use is being found for closed church buildings, with only two cleared sites waiting for disposal. In his follow-up, Babarinde welcomed De Cordova to her position and noted that Eastbourne had declared a housing emergency, emphasizing the need to build their way out of it. He specifically highlighted the site of the former St Elisabeth's church on Victoria Drive, which has been derelict for 20 years since the church was demolished four years ago. Babarinde urged the commissioners to develop this site into affordable housing and requested an urgent update on the situation. De Cordova acknowledged that since 2022, the Church Commissioners have been working with the Diocese of Chichester to market the site and find a developer. She was pleased to inform the House that a developer is in the process of agreeing to a conditional contract for a mixed-use development that will include convenience retail and housing, some of which will be much-needed affordable housing, as Babarinde had mentioned. De Cordova stated that the development will need planning permission, which is currently being explored with the local authority.