Vote deferred on Anglican cathedral extension after diocese asks for more time
Questions have been raised about design and location near where thousands are buried
A city council vote on a controversial plan to build an extension on the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in downtown St. John's has been deferred.
"There were a lot of suggestions put forward concerning the design at a recent public meeting, and between the meeting and the scheduled vote there just wasn't enough time for the diocese, our engineers and the committee to consider all of the suggestions that were put forward," said Paul Antle, chair of the church's Synod Relocation Committee.
"We asked the city to defer the decision to see if we could incorporate some of those considerations."
St. John's City Council was expected to vote on the proposal to build a modern-styled annex on the south side of the historic downtown church at its regular Aug. 5. meeting.
However, the planned vote was deferred after Anglican officials asked for more time to meet with city staff and review the proposed design, city officials said.
"We are looking at each and every suggestion that was made regarding the design to see if it should be or can be done," said Antle.
The new date for the vote has not yet been determined.
A public meeting to discuss the church's plans was held in late July.
Concerns about nearby graves
Church records show more than 4,500 people have been buried in the walled, green space between the cathedral and Duckworth Street.
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Critics of the church's plan fear some bodies were buried in the ground where the proposed for the new annex would be built.
Speaking with CBC on Aug. 5, Antle reiterated the church's position.
"The diocese, the bishop, the committee, or engineers, archeologists ... all the people involved with accessing the footprint of where that building is to be erected are very confident that there is no issue with human remains," he said.
According to the committee overseeing the expansion, human remains were not found in five exploratory holes around the proposed construction site.
Critics have also questioned if the modern design of the proposed annex is appropriate next to the Anglican Cathedral, where construction began in the 1840s.