PEOPLE in Devizes are being urged to show their support to save a Devizes church at a meeting to be held on February 1.

Clergy and other supporters of historic St Mary's Church in New Park Street had pinned their hopes on plans to turn it into a performance space but these were turned down by Wiltshire Council four years ago and the scheme was also later rejected on appeal.

But now the St Mary Future Group has come up with a new plan that could safeguard the Grade 1 listed church and stop it being made redundant.

The meeting will be held at 7.30pm on February 1 at the church. Churchwarden Tony Storer said: "The purpose is to review what has happened over the past two years, including a presentation outlining the Conservation Management Plan, developed with advice from the Salisbury Diocese.

"Those attending will be briefed on what now needs to happen to establish that there is a viable future for the church to save it from redundancy.

"The group has been tasked with demonstrating that it has researched and is proposing the most suitable and acceptable future use supported by the wider community."

Ideas in the new plan include the church be used as an art gallery, café, central base for charities, being used by another congregation, craft workshop, theatre, drop in centre and as a dual use church and community space.

Back in 2013 supporters of St Mary’s were stunned by the decision of Wiltshire Council’s Eastern area planning committee to refuse permission for an extension to the church that would have provided an office, meeting rooms, kitchen and toilet facilities, the inside of the 12th century church would be used for performances for up to 260 people.

This plan was the culmination of five years' work by the Parochial Church Council which, it said, would secure the future of St Mary’s.

St Mary’s Rector, the Rev Canon Paul Richardson, told the committee meeting: “Without development of St Mary’s Church for community use it will be closed and its future conservation is by no means secure.

"There is no harm to the building; there is minimum impact on its setting and the conservation area.

"There is a clearly identified and acknowledged public need that outweighs that minimum impact.”

The plans had the support of many community groups and the meeting held was attended by more than 120 supporters.

But Wiltshire Council's planning officer Mike Wilmott disagreed and accused the group of blackmail. He said: “This is a contemporary addition to a very old building. Let’s make no bones about it, this will make substantial harm to the setting of this building.”

"This is not the only option. There is no evidence that this is the only way that the future of the building can be secured and anything less is, frankly, blackmail.”

There were cries of shame from the audience to the blackmail reference and Mr Richardson said that was not the case.

The meeting is open to all but organisers would like those interested to email to info@stmarydevizestrust.org.uk