Our Redevelopment Project
Beeston Methodist Church (BMC) was formed in 2014 when the congregations of four Methodist churches in the Beeston and Chilwell areas of Nottingham joined together to form one church.
The congregation decided to make its new home in the only one of the four buildings large enough to accommodate it. Whilst it is a distinctive and valued landmark in the local area, the building is 120 years old and the roof had come to the end of its natural life. The building is very expensive to both heat and maintain and is not fit for purpose in a climate challenged world. The layout of the sanctuary is typical of the era in which it was constructed, with rows of fixed pews facing the preaching area, a large overhanging balcony and an oppressive gloominess with dark wood everywhere.
The project will remodel the worship area to meet the needs of a twenty-first century Methodist church, while further enhancing its role as an important community asset. This remodelling involves the removal of the side balconies and fixed pews and the levelling of the floor. It will make the worship space more flexible to support both small and large group worship, as well as a wide range of community events. The provision of state-of-the-art technology will facilitate live streaming of services and events, such as concerts and other performances, as well as providing additional facilities for those in the community who use our premises for weddings and funerals.
The project will also make the building more accessible for those who rely on mobility aids as well as our many younger visitors who arrive in a variety of buggies and pushchairs. Removing the pews and levelling the floor in the worship area will greatly help to overcome access issues and create a more flexible and comfortable space that modern worship and mission activities require. Having loose seating that can be easily arranged to suit individual circumstances, offers our worshipping congregation and the other users of our premises much greater choice and flexibility.
BMC is part of the Eco-Church Network and is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and heating costs. Much of the proposed work – such as the new roof, a new well-insulated floor, a new modern heating system and secondary double glazing, will address these issues. The insulation and improvements to the heating system will improve thermal comfort, as well as reducing heating costs. Lighting levels in the building will also be greatly enhanced, using modern advanced lighting systems.
In terms of community involvement, the hall and meeting rooms are often fully booked. These facilities have been significantly improved with acoustic panels fitted in the hall. We are also planning the construction of a stage in the hall. The side entrance to the premises is being revamped with extension and improvement of the coffee bar area. Having surveyed the many users of the building, we know that they will welcome these changes and the improved facilities, with additional large spaces and performance opportunities.
The worship area, with its flexible seating options and a restored pipe organ will also be welcomed by the local community, since there is a general shortage of venues for performance. Beeston has a strong musical performance tradition with the annual Oxjam festival – a highly successful and much-loved volunteer-led local community festival.
The creation of a modern, light, warm, fully accessible and flexible worship space will create an attractive and creative environment to worship in. The provision of state-of-the-art technology to enable live streaming of services and events, such as concerts and other performances or weddings and funerals will open up new opportunities for mission, as well as community engagement and support.
January 2023
Redevelopment news updates
January 2023 – The planning application has now gone to Broxtowe County Council. We hope to get a response by March.
March 2023 – Planning permission is delayed while we wait for the ecology survey looking for the presence of roosting bats.
July update: we were delighted to receive planning consent at the end of June. There is evidence of bat activity in the spire and we will need a licence to proceed with this work. We hope to be be starting work on the outside of the spire soon and internal work on the spire as soon as the licence is through. The work on the rest of the church is now moving towards final plans and going out to tender.
April 2024 update. The work on the spire is nearing completion. The rest of the plans are in their final stages.