Priest fights Anglican Diocese to save St Alban the Martyr in Dominion Rd from closure

Priest Mark Beale is trying to save the heritage building where his parish gathers. Photo / Alex Burton

An Anglican priest is fighting the Auckland Diocese to save his heritage-listed church building from closure - and what he suspects could be an eventual land sale.

The congregation of St Alban the Martyr on Dominion Rd – also known as St Alban's - have been served with a letter from the diocese and its General Trust Board saying the building will close on April 30 because it is deemed unsafe.

But Rev Mark Beale, the priest in charge, is calling the closure "unjust" and doesn't want to see the building left empty. He said Auckland Council issues a warrant of fitness for the building every year. He wants more time to have an in-depth engineer's report finished to determine its safety rating.

"If it's proved unsafe then fair enough, but to pre-empt that ... I find unjust."

The Auckland Diocese told the Herald it has worked for many years with the parish to find a way forward, but some health and safety risks associated with the building are serious and it is no longer considered safe for people to gather for worship there.

"At this stage no decisions have been made about the future of the building beyond the date of closure.

"The diocese will continue to work with the St Alban parishioners to find a solution that supports the ongoing worship and wellbeing of their community," the statement said.

Mark Beale wants an in-depth engineer's report completed before the building is closed. Photo / Alex Burton

Beale fears the building will deteriorate rapidly, with the diocese not intending to make any decisions about its long-term future for a period of 12 months.

"The building sits empty and becomes rat- and possum-infested," he said.

"I suspect there's a different agenda. I think the diocese might want to actually get rid of it, so they can sell off the land, which would obviously be worth a lot of money on Dominion Rd.

"I don't agree with that."

The 2000sq m property is valued at $5.4 million, according to the latest Auckland Council data.

But the legal owner of the building, the General Trust Board, insists there are no future plans for the building.

It said: "While the building is closed, the parish has further time to work towards a plan for its restoration to an acceptable standard of safety."

The board said the onus is on the parish to present a clear pathway to address the board's health and safety concerns. It felt it was appropriate to close the building in the interim.

Auckland Council made an earthquake assessment of the building in 2018 under the new Building Act requirements.

It found the building was earthquake prone, but it is not a priority building and work to make it safer is only due to be completed by April 2053.

At the time Auckland Council chief operating officer Dean Kimpton said: "Just because a building is deemed earthquake prone ... it does not make it unsafe."

Priest in charge Mark Beale says the building is used by many community groups who aren't aware it's set to close. Photo / Alex Burton

A previous engineer's report raising issues about the building's safety was challenged and the congregation was given the opportunity to do renovation work on the church, according to Beale.

Parishioners helped fund $52,000 to complete a conservation plan, but Covid-19 has drawn out progress. They're in the middle of the engineer's analysis to determine the safety rating which was hoped to be finished by February. Beale believes it could be finished by May.

"That engineer's report, to be a very valid report, has to be peer-reviewed," he said.

The trust board noted in the letter given to the church that the diocese does not support the parish in undertaking repairs, because it has "other strategic priorities for funding applications".

"Several independent experts have been engaged and provided reports on the condition of the building, and the health and safety risks associated with the building, some of which are serious," it told the Herald.

"The parish has been unable to present a clear pathway for addressing the health and safety concerns held by the board. Trustees have reached the difficult decision to close the building."

Beale said he plans to save the building by completing an engineer's report, creating a conservation plan and surveying the costs to restore the building.

'More than just St Alban's'

The building serves many community purposes outside of the Church, Beale told the Herald. As a category B heritage building from 1885, it's a rarity on Dominion Rd he believes should be preserved because of its "unique architecture".

The neighbouring Russian Orthodox Church of the Resurrection is among other faith groups who use the building, some since 1950. Beale said Eritrean worshippers, made up of many refugees, congregate on a Saturday.

The building has a tower that also serves as a World War I memorial and Armistice Day commemoration services have been held at the site.

"The community of Balmoral, including the RSA, none of these groups have been contacted which to me would be a courtesy and common decency," said Beale.

"This will become a huge shock."

He believes the St Alban's congregation has depleted over the past four years with the looming threat of closure.

"Their morale goes down ... I can understand that," said Beale.

The diocese confirmed plans were under way to merge the congregation of St Alban's with another parish when it closes.