CDA secures grant to explore social housing opportunity with St Saviour’s Saltley
The Church Development Agency has successfully secured £25,000 from the Archbishops' Council's Housing Projects Grant Fund to support the PCC of St Mark's and St Saviour's, Saltley, to investigate the potential for a social housing development within the grounds of St Saviour's church.
The work is purely exploratory at this stage and will assess whether a small-scale development of social housing on St Saviour’s churchyard could improve the security of the churchyard and help support the church’s mission and ministry to the wider community through the provision of affordable housing for families.
The grant will allow the PCC, supported by the Church Development Agency (CDA), to explore whether such a development is feasible and financially viable. It will also include an exploration of the potential to provide additional parking for those attending the church.
St Saviour's church itself will continue to operate as the parish church of Saltley, serving the local community as it has done since the Grade II listed church was first consecrated in 1850. Alongside worship and parish life, the church has long supported community initiatives, notably through Games 4 All, which has used the church hall for more than twenty years to provide activities and support for young people in the parish. Ensuring that valued community initiatives like this can continue to operate will be an important consideration in any future plans.
Fr Alan Thompson, vicar of St Mark’s and Saviour’s, said: “Reimagining a portion of the churchyard presents an opportunity to improve accessibility for worship and may contribute to the preservation and continued use of our iconic building. Furthermore, there is a considerable need for new social housing in this area. A carefully planned and sensitive redevelopment project has the potential to provide additional security and support for our neighbours who reside nearby."
This successful grant application is just the latest success for the CDA, which now has a pipeline of over forty Church-owned sites across the country which it is looking to develop on behalf of dioceses and parishes.
The £4.5m Housing Projects Grant Fund, administered by the Archbishops' Council, offers grants from £500 to £25,000 to help churches explore how their land and property could provide housing to support local communities. There are several funding rounds each year and the next will close on 23 June 2026. Further details can be obtained from Nathan Conway at the Faith and Public Life team of the Archbishops’ Council (HousingProject@churchofengland.org).
PCCs or dioceses wishing to partner with the CDA on a grant application can contact INFO@churchdevelopmentagency.co.uk