Plans for a new building for Christ Church on Edde Cross Street, Ross-on-Wye, have taken an exciting leap forward, and the church have enlisted in the help of the Onion Collective, a team of consultants, who have been involved in several community projects.

The Somerset-based ‘Onion Collective’ are a team of four. They founded when plans to regenerate their home town were brought to the community’s attention, and the team recognised the importance of consultation sessions for people to express their opinions, thoughts and aspirations.

Christ Church will utilise the knowledge and experience of the Collective to bring forth additional changes to the plans for its own redevelopment later this year.

Internationally-renowned architect Piers Taylor, who is working on the designs for the brand new centre in Ross, introduced the team at Christ Church to the ‘four onions,’ having worked with them on various projects across the West and South West previously.

A feasibility study, with a vision to demolish the dated 1960s building and replace it with a brand new centre, was recently submitted for pre-planning. It was warmly received by the County planners and Town Council.

To take the submission to the next stage, the Christ Church project team, in conjunction with the Onion Collective, will be engaging with different communities around the town, those already involved with the church and those without a prior connection, to see what benefits a new church building would bring.

Revd Deborah Cornish, minister of Christ Church, commented: “We are delighted that Piers Taylor has introduced us to the ladies of the Onion Collective, and look forward to working with them to progress the plans for a brand new church which will benefit the local community.”

The Christ Church team and Onion Collective will be running a series of consultation events in late April and welcome any community groups to get in touch at this early stage to express an interest in coming along. The team is excited to hear from all members of the community as to how a new church building could work for the whole town and become a real hub for the community.

For more information about the project, or to find out more about the forthcoming community consultation events, please contact Reverend Deborah Cornish via email: [email protected], or Rachel from the Onion Collective, at [email protected]