St Paul’s Anglican Church Bankstown: Parishioners unite to protect site from demolition

A Sydney church has been locked in a lengthy battle to survive, with a proposed redevelopment of the site catching the ire of its own parishioners, and the local council. Here’s the latest.

Parishioners outside St Paul’s church in Bankstown.

A struggling church has found itself in a battle for survival with a Sydney council and its parishioners.

Debate has raged for 15 years over a plan to demolish the site, making way for a new place of worship as part of an 18-storey complex, with an emergency motion at Tuesday’s Canterbury-Bankstown meeting aiming to heritage list the church.

St Paul’s Anglican Church rector John Bartik called on the council to strike down the order, saying it would be “horrible news” and “not in the spirit of the church”.

He argued it would hinder the Bankstown-based church’s chance of survival, while impacting the site’s potential redevelopment into an innovative community space.

“We want to create something important and special for the community as right now we only have one function space used for Alcoholics Anonymous and karate lessons,” he said.

Canterbury-Bankstown councillor Barbara Coorey outside St Paul’s Anglican Church.

Mr Bartik advised the council’s plans for the site aren’t finalised and the Anglican Archdiocese supports St Paul’s decision to redevelop.

Canterbury-Bankstown Council agreed to defer its decision on the heritage order for two months and conduct further inspections of the church.

Cr Barbara Coorey, who put forward the emergency motion, said it is “inconceivable” to demolish the building, which holds heritage and local significance – including the ashes of Minister Thomas Ian Lawrence who died in 1981.

“We as a council are not in the business of allowing churches to be demolished for high rise development,” she said.

St Paul’s Parishioner of more than 20 years and creator of community group ‘Save St Paul’s Bankstown’ Bing Wu, said the redevelopment would destroy a church of “local significance to the community.”

“Most parishioners, including the older people, want to save the church because they believe the church has a huge historical value,” she said.

One of the plagues inside St Paul’s dedicated to priest Thomas Lawrence where his ashes lie beneath the altar.

Ms Wu, 62, said many parishioners had left the church and those who remained were scared to talk about the potential redevelopment.

“They (parishioners) are afraid, the church is our home and we want to save our home,” she said.

While some of his parishioners are for the redevelopment, Mr Bartik said others “wouldn’t be jumping up and down but they would understand.”

“A large percentage said as long as there is a place for me to worship I will keep coming,” he said.

At the meeting, Cr Charbel Abouraad asked Mr Bartik if the church would survive without a redevelopment.

Mr Bartik said: “If we redevelop we have an opportunity to thrive and we want a new day and to try something innovative that is suitable for an innovative city.”

According to the Bankstown Masterplan Site Specific Report from March 2022, the 457 Chapel Rd site – which neighbours the church – was earmarked for an 18-storey, or 61m, height limit. The report states council had been in negotiations with the church for a potential site amalgamation, but a decision is yet to be made.

In documents seen by this publication, Canterbury-Bankstown general manager Matthew Stewart received an email from the Department of Planning and Environment director of heritage programs last July.

Stain glass window inside the church donated by parishioners.

The email states Heritage NSW had called for the council to reconsider including the church as part of the masterplan, as it did had a “range of local heritage values”.

Mr Bartik said: “Financially, we have been in a difficult position for a good 15 years and we are doing everything we can to strengthen the church but we are hoping to redevelop.

“We’ve known for years the church is struggling and it’s a conversation in our parish council about how we can struggle for the next 100 years or we can make a big decision and thrive.”

Mr Bartik said there were no concrete plans for the site, but the most strategic proposal was for a new multistorey building, including a ground-level church with the sale of higher levels to fund the project.

“Redeveloping is a difficult decision as I’m aware people have strong feelings towards the church and I have the highest respect and compassion for those feelings and we want to do everything we can to accommodate as many people as possible,” Mr Bartik said.