Empty Since 2017, a Methodist Church Makes Way for Six Supported Bungalows in Sunderland

• Demolition of the former St Cuthbert’s Methodist Church in Ryhope began in March 2024
• Six single-storey homes will be built for people with physical or learning disabilities
• The project received £660,000 from Homes England
• It forms part of Sunderland City Council’s £59 million housing plan

A Methodist church in Ryhope, Sunderland, that has stood unused since 2017 is being cleared to make way for six supported bungalows, Sunderland City Council announced in March 2024. Demolition of the former St Cuthbert’s Methodist Church was started by T Manners and Sons, with building work on the new homes expected to take around a year.

The development will provide three three-bedroom and three two-bedroom bungalows for people with physical and/or learning disabilities. The homes will be single-storey and will have 5G built in, so that assistive technology can be added as residents need it.

The scheme received £660,000 of funding from Homes England and is part of the council’s £59 million Housing Delivery and Investment Plan, which the council said had delivered more than 180 new homes, with further projects under way in Washington and at Hylton Road.

Councillor Kevin Johnston said: “It’s great to see work starting on these six new one-story homes, which will help us deliver more accessible properties in the city for those who need them.”

Ryhope is a straightforward example of what happens to many closed chapels in Britain: once a congregation has gone and a building has stood empty for years, the land is often more useful for homes than the structure is for worship. Here the new use serves people who find it hard to secure suitable housing.

Across Jamaica, too, there are church buildings that have fallen quiet as congregations shrink or move. For church leaders and diaspora members thinking about what should happen to such sites, Sunderland offers one answer: partner with public bodies and turn an empty building into accessible homes, so the land continues to serve the community even after the worship has moved elsewhere.

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