FAQ

Project Beacon is a £6.25 million capital project to restore the Grade II listed St Andrew’s Church in Keighley, West Yorkshire and build a new community hall and link area. Together, the buildings will give the town an inviting, warm, flexible space for worship, community use and support for vulnerable people, as well as a heritage interpretation area.

Yes. Planning permission has been granted by Bradford Council. Faculty consent, the Church of England’s permission for works to a consecrated building, has also been issued by the Diocese of Leeds. Listed building consent is in place.

The current church building and hall are not fit for purpose. Accessibility, storage and flexible space are limited and we need improved toilet and kitchen facilities to better serve the community. Lighting and heating also need to be updated as does the audio-visual system. To learn more about the reasons behind the project you can read the Statement of Need.

The idea originated in 2017. A steering group was formed in 2018 and the Church on the Green charity was set up in 2020.

The purpose of this project is to:

• Provide a beacon of faith, love, light and hope for Keighley.
• Expand the current outreach services provided by the parish for those who find themselves socially and economically disadvantaged, addicted, vulnerable, lost and lonely.
• Provide fit-for-purpose, accessible premises for a growing faith congregation and wider community, social and civic events.
• Preserve, promote and explain the treasured heritage assets of St Andrew’s.

We set up the Church on the Green Neighbourhood Foundation to enhance fundraising potential from external sources, to avoid compromising the wider parish fundraising and to ensure fundraising is in keeping with Parish Funding Policy.

The charity carries responsibility for the strategic development of Project Beacon and the necessary fundraising. It has been responsible for producing all the reports and documentation required to gain council planning permission and Church of England faculty permission.

The name of the charity reflects where the church is, on Church Green, and what it is seeking to be, a foundation for community activity, both spiritual and secular.

We visited several churches to see how they carried out renovation work and how they now use their new buildings. We gained tips on planning, kitchen design, fundraising, heating, use of space and storage. Some of the churches we visited include The Eldwick Church, Baildon Methodist Church, All Saints in Ilkley, Church of St Michael and St Lawrence with Washburn Heritage centre in Fewston, St Peter’s in Harrogate, Ps & Gs Church in Edinburgh, Bridge Community Church in Leeds, Fountain’s Church in Bradford and Christ Church in Cambridge.

We have used two different firms of architects so far and in each case, we created a briefing document and invited local firms to tender. Shortlisted firms were then interviewed and appointments made. The firm who won the initial tender to conduct a feasibility study were Pearce Bottomley of Tadcaster. When we were ready for the design phase, we went out to tender again and following a comprehensive interview process, chose Halliday Clark of Ilkley. Halliday Clark ceased trading in 2025 and their former director, Richard Walsh, is continuing to manage the design work through his new professional practice, RJW Design Studio Ltd.

The total estimated cost of realising Project Beacon is £6.25 million based on an independent quantity surveyor cost estimate plan (March 2026), but subject to receipt of detailed professional advice on VAT.

The project will be funded through a combination of grants from major Christian, heritage, and community funders; trust and foundation grants; corporate giving; and a Friends and Family appeal in the parish. We are also raising money through regular giving from our church congregations, fundraising events and online giving platforms such as easyfundraising and Just Giving.

Raising such a large amount of money requires skills, experience and time that the trustees don’t have enough of. We have therefore engaged an experienced fundraiser to help us identify funds we can apply for and to write the necessary applications. They work alongside a group of fundraising volunteers who have undergone some training in writing bids. All fundraiser fees have been generously covered by a local charitable trust.

We will approach funders who are in alignment with our ethical fundraising and anti-money laundering policies and who donate to causes congruent with our aims and objectives.

Yes, the current community hall will be demolished down to its foundations before an extended hall is built. This is the most cost-effective way to make it fit for purpose for future users. The new community hall will be in-keeping with the modernised St Andrew’s church and will be connected to the church by a new Link building.

Plans and artistic interpretations of this can been seen here

The new community hall will have multiple uses, including but not limited to:

• Youth and children’s groups on Sunday
• Midweek activities for children and youth groups
• Welcome café
• All community groups who currently use the hall
• New community groups who want to use different spaces

It is proposed that uses for the Link building would include, but not be limited to:

• Overflow for very large services, weddings, funerals and civic events
• Catering for wedding receptions, baptism parties and funeral wakes
• Conferences or large meetings – with the hall spaces providing additional breakout meeting rooms
• Youth groups not using the Community Hall

We will endeavour to harness the potential for the community hall and link space to generate income and therefore become self-sustaining.

Construction is expected to start in 2028, with the community hall area delivered first (Phase 1) then the Link building (Phase 2) and the church reordering following on (Phase 3). Works must commence by March 2028 to comply with the terms of our planning consent, unless an extension is granted.

At present it is unclear exactly how long this project will take, but the cost estimate is based upon a construction period of 78 weeks, assuming all phases are carried out one after the other, without fundraising delays. First, we need to raise the money necessary for construction which will then take place in three phases:

Phase 1 involves demolishing the current hall and building a new multi-purpose Community Hall.
Phase 2 involves building the Link between the Community Hall and church.
Phase 3 involves improving the church building.

If we raise enough money to move smoothly from Phase 1 to Phase 2 to phase 3, the project will take less time to complete. Pausing to raise further funds between phases will obviously extend the project timeline and increase the overall cost.

Yes, the buildings will need to be vacated during the construction work. We aim to build in three phases, starting with the community hall. Whilst this is being demolished and rebuilt, we aim to use the church building for as many activities as possible. Those that are unable to continue within the church building will be offered alternative premises within the parish. Likewise, the construction of the Link will disrupt normal use of the Community Hall.

Once the Community Hall and Link are built, we will be able to use them for church activities whilst the church building is regenerated and improved. During all of this, the health and safety of all users will be paramount. Changes to how we use the premises during construction periods may need to be made to ensure everyone’s safety.

A detailed energy report, issued in June 2026 by a local company Watsons Building Services Ltd, incorporates specialist advice received from Purelec Energy Ltd (a PV advisor and supplier). This sets out the project’s net zero analysis, together with various energy solutions, including a recommended sustainable hybrid energy plan. This plan incorporates PV panels on the south-facing church roof, a Solar Edge converter, battery storage, an air source heat pump, underfloor heating, gas boiler and radiators. As apparent from the report, this design will significantly reduce running costs, will be more environmentally sustainable (saving 7 tonnes of CO2/yr) and will be flexible in how it can be used.

One of Project Beacon’s goals is to ensure the heritage assets are properly curated and made more accessible to the local community. The design of the refurbished St Andrew’s church will be sympathetic to the heritage assets and the Trustees are investigating how different media can be used to highlight and retell their legacy. You may find the following project documents of particular interest: Heritage condition assessment and relocation methodology report; full church building record per Historic England guidance.

A full heritage review and consultation programme is planned to start in Q3 2026, following appointment of a heritage consultant specialist.

You can support us by praying for the project, donating money, attending fundraising events and offering up your own fundraising ideas.

You can ask any of the project trustees, send an email to info@churchonthegreen.uk or use the contact form on this website.