Former Sheffield working man's club set to become church

A planning application has been submitted to turn former Bellhouse Working Men’s Club in Shiregreen into a place of worship for the International Christian Worship Centre.

It comes after separate plans were lodged to demolish Handsworth Working Men’s Club and Institute, on Handsworth Road, and put up 27 flats in a single three-storey block.

The application to convert the Bellhouse club said: “The congregation of the International Christian Worship Centre currently meet at the Church of St James and St Christopher at Bellhouse Road.

“The application seeks to find a permanent home for the congregation at the former working men’s club, which will be used both for worship and community uses.”

The church intends to run a food bank, toddler groups and support for refugees and the homeless from the site, along with providing help to elderly and vulnerable people living in the local area.

The former club has been for more than two years and was targeted in an arson attack last summer.

The application added: “The conversion of the former working men’s club into a church and community centre will provide numerous benefits to the church community and bring an active use to a vacant site in the Shiregreen area.”

A decision on whether to give the change of use the go-ahead is expected to be made by Sheffield Council on May 9.