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Search the Public Notice Portal A Grade II-listed church may have its bells permanently removed.
St Mary’s Church in South Hylton, Sunderland, could lose its "full chime of eight church bells" under a scheme proposed by the Durham Diocese Board of Finance.
The church has closed as a place of worship due to a declining congregation and high repair costs, and is now in a "use seeking period".
Last year, a certificate of lawfulness was granted linked to the church’s change of use, with the most recent proposal describing using the building as an "arts hub for the South Hylton community".
A heritage statement submitted with the application said: "Proposed future plans for the building do not include a use for the bells, current plans from developers largely ignore them and assume they will remain on site.
"However, if they remain in situ it is unlikely that they will ever be rung, and may continue to deteriorate over time, unused."
It is proposed that removing and repurposing the bells as well as employing specialist contractors and equipment is the best way to preserve and make them a part of active bell ringing again.
The application adds: "We consider that repurposing the bells in this way, by repurposing them at a site where they will be rung, will be a public benefit and prevent the eventual loss of part of the building’s heritage."
If listed building consent is granted by Sunderland City Council, the bells would be carefully removed using existing access hatches by specialist contractors.
A design and access statement said it is "likely" the bells would be relocated to another church or used to train bell ringers at a different site.
The bells would require repairs before being used again, as a tonal analysis found some had deteriorated and now "ring flat."
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These would need to be recast using the original bell metal at a bell foundry.
The heritage statement said that while the bells are not "nationally significant," they are "worth preserving and reusing somewhere they can be heard again."
A decision on the application is expected following a consultation.