00:018 bells are set to be removed from an historic church in South Hilton after Sutherland City
00:05Council approved the plans. The bells are inside St Mary's Church, a grade 2 listed building which
00:11is closed as an official place of worship because of a declining congregation. A heritage statement
00:17found some bells had deteriorated so badly that they ring flat and would need recasting.
00:23The diocese says the bells are worth preserving and that they could be reused at another church
00:28or to train bell ringers elsewhere. Planning officers said the public benefit of reuse
00:34outweighed the limited harm to the building's heritage.
00:38Proposals for the church include an arts hub for the community.
