St Mary's Church, Dunstable, Beds, 1964, by Desmond Williams & Associates
Diocesean or area reviews
AHP has been working with English Heritage and several Roman Catholic dioceses on Taking Stock, a programme which looks at all the parish churches within a diocese and assesses both their significance and their sensitivity to change. Taking Stock evolved against a backdrop of threatened church closures in many areas, and is designed to inform decisions about future use and adaptation. As such, the programme is proving to be an invaluable forward planning tool for the Roman Catholic dioceses taking part. Surveys have been completed for the dioceses of Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Northampton, Plymouth and Portsmouth.
Also as part of Taking Stock, in 2009 AHP undertook a review of churches and chapels in North Staffordshire. This was the first multi-denominational review in the programme, seeking to identify both the significance of places of worship, as well as their sensitivity to change. English Heritage and the participating denominations are now actively using the report to guide the future management of places of worship in North Staffordshire.