A plan to redevelop the Catholic national shrine near Walsingham has been withdrawn after coming in for heavy criticism.
The East Anglia Historic Churches Committee (HCC) rejected the application for listed building consent while Historic England raised “serious concerns” on heritage grounds.
Both were worried about the scale of a proposed new church on the Slipper Chapel and the effect on its picturesque rural backdrop. The tiny chapel dates from around 1360 and is where pilgrims removed their shoes to walk the final “Holy Mile” to the original Walsingham shrine.
“Whilst the impact on the fabric of the Grade I listed chapel is minimal, the scope, scale and style of the proposed development has the potential to cause significant harm to its setting,” said the HCC in notes accompanying its refusal of the application.
The shrine’s administrative body, the Walsingham Trust, announced that it was withdrawing its planning application to North Norfolk District Council and would review the plans.
Announcing the decision, the trust’s chairman, the Bishop of East Anglia, Alan Hopes, said: “There is no doubt that many of the current facilities do need to be improved and developed, but we must ensure that the solution to the practical problems of the shrine do not harm its unique and special nature.
Cartoon by Pugh
“The trustees have listened to the many contributions to the recent application for planning consent and have decided to review the objectives of the project and potential options in the light of recent concerns.”
The rethink comes as the shrine’s popular Rector, Mgr John Armitage, comes to the end of his five-year term.
“Mgr Armitage has helped achieve tremendous things over the past five years, including its designation by Pope Francis as a Minor Basilica, the recent Rededication of England as the Dowry of Mary, the development of accommodation facilities for pilgrims in nearby Walsingham itself and the huge growth of interest in the shrine online through live streaming,” said Bishop Hopes.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, around 250,000 people attended the shrine every year. Among the major pilgrimages were the annual New Dawn Festival organised by the Charismatic Renewal Movement, and large-scale day visits by the Tamil community, Travellers and the Syro-Malabar Church.
There is broad agreement that facilities at the shrine are inadequate need updating. Ageing, temporary buildings house a limited number of toilets and a tea-room.
The redevelopment plans were the most ambitious since the 1980s. They included covered walkways, a pilgrim centre, new toilets and catering facilities. The main source of controversy was the planned church by Catholic architect, Anthony Delarue, which was twice the size of the present one built in the 1980s to resemble a Norfolk barn.
Critics described Delarue’s design, with a tower topped by a statue of the Virgin Mary, as “high urban Gothic”, “grandiose” and “overly ornate”. Delarue reduced the scale of the building to try to meet the objections, but it was still claimed that it would swamp the Slipper Chapel.
The shrine is reached via narrow country lanes only slightly wider than pilgrim coaches. The site is liable to flooding and there have been concerns about the impact of the development on local flora and fauna. In comments to the local council on the planning application, residents of the nearest villages of Houghton St Giles and Barsham complained of traffic, noise, litter and antisocial behaviour by some pilgrims.
Bishop Hopes stressed the trustees remain very positive about the future of the shrine. He said they want to preserve its unique character, serve the needs of pilgrims and make a contribution to the local community.
The new Rector, Mgr Canon Philip Moger, a parish priest from the Diocese of Leeds, takes over in September.
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