Cathedral requires extensive repairs, council told

An 1830s church, designated as a cathedral by the Pope, is in need of extensive repairs after becoming riddled with wet rot, a report has said.

Following an inspection at St Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Preston, documents submitted to the city's council revealed that the building's drainage system had "failed significantly".

They also said rot had "taken hold" of the vestry roof after decades of water seepage and gutter failure at the Grade II-listed place of worship in Meadow Street.

Plans have been outlined for gutter and floor replacement work at the cathedral, which is also known as St. Ignatius Church, as well as roof and stonework repairs.

An initial assessment found entire roof timbers in some parts of the building were "saturated and decayed with wet rot".

The church was part of the Diocese of Lancaster until 2014, when it briefly closed after the congregation declined.

It reopened the following year to serve local Roman Catholics from the Indian Syro-Malabar community.

Pope Francis designated it as a new cathedral in 2016.

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