A vital support group could be made homeless as church officials look at selling a town centre hall to clear debts of £500,000 from the ill-fated Basildon glass belltower project.

Bosses at St Martins Parochial Church Council are looking to lift protection orders on the PCC-owned church hall, allowing the land to be sold.

The hall, in Great Oaks, is looked at as part of efforts to pay back debts when Canon Lionel Webber was rector at the church.

It is leased out to the West Ham Central Mission, which has converted it into six counselling suites, manned by volunteers throughout the week.

A spokesman for the group said it was keeping in touch with the PCC, with whom it has a 15-year lease.

The spokesman added: "We are concerned for them because they obviously have problems. We are both anxious to retain the facility and to try to find a way to make that possible."

Peter Reid, acting chairman of the PCC, said there was a restrictive covenant on the church hall which it wants lifted. He said: "We need to apply to English Partnerships and, so far, that has been unsuccessful.

"It would give us far more options because anything we do has to be for church purposes. If we can get it lifted the land could be sold or leased. We feel dreadful even considering this because it is all so unnecessary."

The PCC owes builders Mowlems for work on the unfinished 95ft glass structure. Other claims include £12,100 from Basildon Council and £20,000 from an American businessman.

However, the PCC only has £2,000 in the bank and solicitors for Mowlems have said they are looking at clawing back money from the council's "fixed assets". These include the hall and two tiny strips of land, one of which houses the belltower.

Future doubt - the church hall with the belltower behind

Picture: MAXINE CLARKE

By Sam Smith

Reporter's e-mail: sam.smith@notes.newsquest.co.uk

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