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St Luke’s Southsea unveils plans for a new look
A NEW look for a Southsea church that aims to enhance its community role has been approved.
St Luke’s Church on Greetham Street aims to revamp its outdoor space and its church hall to become even more welcoming. The proposals, from architects Studio BAD, have now been given planning permission.
The idea is to create an inviting ‘courtyard’ space between the church building and Isambard Brunel Street, which aims to attract passers-by to explore further. Part of this involves revamping the church hall as a community café with outdoor seating and a welcoming façade.
The architect’s plans include a quirky bench which begins on the pavement outside the church grounds and works its way towards the church itself. Visitors would follow the path of the bench between flowers, plants and a prayer labyrinth to an inviting porch and new glass front door. The inside of the church is already open on weekdays as ‘The Host Space’, where lone workers and freelancers can work alongside each other.
The phased plans also include revamping the garden space around the side and back of the church building. A sensory garden, vegetable garden and sanctuary space are part of the plans.
And the church hall will be revamped to create an urban café by the end of 2023, with upgraded kitchen facilities and a new entrance. It will allow young adults to be trained in barista and service skills.
The vicar, the Rev Annie McCabe, said: “We’ve already done a lot of work to create The Host as a welcoming space for workers during the day, to repair the church roof and make the building sound, and to open up these spaces to the local community.
“We hope the work to create the courtyard, revamp the church hall and create the garden space will take place over the next three years, and give our buildings a sense of being a ‘campus’ where all sorts of groups meet.
“As well as our co-working space in the church, we also welcome groups for refugees and asylum seekers, parents and toddlers, teenagers, students, and a community singing group. But these plans will give us even more to offer such groups, especially as our kitchen and café becomes better equipped.”
Once this work has been done, attention may switch to restoration work inside the church building itself, as funds allow. Repairing the church’s walls, laying a level church floor with an integrated heating system, and revamping the internal space are all on the agenda.