Church raises fears over falling glass and debris

A York church and music venue is seeking permission to carry out repairs, warning debris and glass could fall from its ceiling and injure the congregation below.

York City Church has applied for listed building consent to repair glazed panels or "laylights" in the ceiling above the main hall of the Citadel on Gillygate.

It said the structural integrity of the ceiling around the panels had weakened, leading to safety concerns.

The planned repairs come as part of wider refurbishments to the Grade II listed building, which would also see plaster fixed and the main hall repainted.

The church was considering either installing screens below the laylights, or reinforcing them from above, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Plans submitted to City of York Council stated York City Church’s limited finances would have to be taken into account when deciding which proposal to choose, with reinforcement works costing more than the screens.

But they added repairs needed to happen soon in order to make the laylights safe.

The plans said: “Over time the structural integrity of these sections has become weaker hence posing the threat of falling debris and in some instances the dislodging and failure of the inset glazing panels.

“The safety of the public and building users is paramount, particularly as the laylights are located directly above the main two-storey hall within the building where large numbers of people regularly congregate.

“Debris or in the worst case glazed panels falling from height would pose a substantial risk to those below potentially resulting in serious injury.”

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