Nine lavish new apartments have been built inside a former church in Stockport, which is a Grade II listed building. St Augustine's Church in Cheadle Heath was built in the 19th century, but after it fell into disrepair with electrical issues, the church and local congregation decided to move to a new location.
The church was then abandoned and left derelict, until a local property developer decided to buy the listed building and convert it into a residential property. In July 2021, Nabeel Mussarat from Manchester began transforming the church into nine two-bedroom apartments.
To keep St Augustine's aesthetics, Nabeel wanted to retain many of the building's original features from the stained glass windows, glazing and brickwork to the church's high ceilings and roof. To preserve the church's Grade II listing, Nabeel worked closely with Stockport Council Building Control to keep in line with the building and fire safety regulations.
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Whilst keeping the period features in tact, the entirety of the exterior features such as the brickwork, roof and stained-glass windows had to be repaired and restored. The general internal structure, that was mostly wood, also needed extensive work to repair wood rot that had occurred whilst the building was vacant.
The renovation project started in July 2021 and was completed in January this year. All but one of the nine apartments have now been sold. The nine apartments each have two bedrooms, five with two bathrooms and four with one bathroom, and have a modern fitted kitchen, dining area and lounge.
The prices the apartments sold for ranged between £215,000 for a 700 square foot flat and £265,000 for a large flat that spans double the size at 1,400 square feet.
The only flat that remains for sale has two bedrooms, one bathroom, and an open-plan kitchen, diner and lounge. This is one of the smaller flats going for £215,000.
After the project was completed, Nabeel said: “I’m always on the lookout for new opportunities to invest locally and have a soft spot when it comes to restoring historic buildings, particularly when you know how much they’ve been cherished by the community over the years.
"With this development, we are breathing new life into St Augustine’s, offering a chance for young people and their families to create new memories."
Nabeel secured development finance from specialist lender Together who are eager to help developers preserve and restore listed buildings in the North West.
"We’re seeing increased interest from property developers, particularly in the North West of England, in their local landmarks," said Mark Holden relationship manager at Together.
"Turning sites such as St Augustine’s into a new 2-bed apartments is very appealing to buyers looking for a more unusual, yet affordable residence," he added.
"Our doors are always open when it comes to the preservation and redevelopment of our country’s most treasured sites, so long as the project makes sound financial sense, it’s always worth the conversation.”
