Repair plan for medieval church in 'poor condition'
BBCPlans have been lodged to repair a church dating back to the 12th Century that has fallen into a "poor condition".
The Churches Conservation Trust has submitted an application to Leicester City Council to carry out a series of mainly like-for-like repairs to the exterior of All Saints Church in Highcross Street.
According to planning documents, the church, which is described as a "nationally significant" building, requires "reasonably urgent" works.
This comes after Highcross Street was closed for four days in 2024 after a decorative stone fell from the church into the road.
Regular worship ceased at the building in the 1980s, with the site used more recently to host an international exhibition inspired by the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh.
A report submitted to the council said the west door and lower part of the tower date back to the 12th Century, but the majority of the Grade I-listed building dates back to about the 13th Century.
However, it added much of what is visible externally appeared to be due to 19th Century restoration.
Historic England said the church was a large, prominent site that was "at the heart of the medieval town".
The report submitted to the council details the findings of a fabric condition survey carried out in January 2026. It states that the church is in "poor condition as evidenced by the recent fall of stone on the west side", and raised concerns about masonry in other areas.
"A programme of masonry repairs is needed in order to address these concerns. This is reasonably urgent to avoid further falls of stone and ongoing decay," it added.
The report concludes: "The recommended proposals comprise a large number of small repairs as well as some localised minor alterations.
"The overall impact will be to significantly improve the condition of the historic fabric of the church."
Leicester City Council's website says the authority aims to make a decision on the application by 17 July.
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