Colchester City Council remains committed to breathing new life into Holy Trinity Church – Colchester’s oldest standing building – while St Helena Hospice has decided to step away from the project due to sector-wide financial challenges
St Helena’s decision will allow the Hospice to focus on maintaining the high-quality end of life care and support it can provide for people across northeast Essex.
Following the interest shown by potential users last year, we remain confident that Colchester’s oldest building has a promising future. While it’s too early to confirm whether those partnerships will still be pursued, all options – including new opportunities – are now being reassessed to determine the best way forward and transform the building into a vibrant community hub.
Cllr David King, Leader of Colchester City Council, said: “The hospice movement is having a tough time, so we understand why St Helena has decided to step back from the Holy Trinity Church project.
“The council remains determined to deliver this landmark project, to continue with the renewal of this great building, to open it up for use and visitors, and to continue the regeneration of our city centre. Last year, many organisations expressed interest, and we are positive Colchester’s oldest building has a great future.”
St Helena’s decision will allow the Hospice to focus on maintaining the high-quality end of life care and support it can provide for people across northeast Essex.
Following the interest shown by potential users last year, we remain confident that Colchester’s oldest building has a promising future. While it’s too early to confirm whether those partnerships will still be pursued, all options – including new opportunities – are now being reassessed to determine the best way forward and transform the building into a vibrant community hub.
Cllr David King, Leader of Colchester City Council, said: “The hospice movement is having a tough time, so we understand why St Helena has decided to step back from the Holy Trinity Church project.
“The council remains determined to deliver this landmark project, to continue with the renewal of this great building, to open it up for use and visitors, and to continue the regeneration of our city centre. Last year, many organisations expressed interest, and we are positive Colchester’s oldest building has a great future.”
Kate Heslegrave, Co-Chief Executive of St Helena Hospice, said: “We have revisited the financial priorities for St Helena Hospice since we were sadly forced to make a number of redundancies over the summer, along with making some changes to our services. This was predominantly the result of increased cost pressures outside of our control taking effect, largely caused by the Government’s autumn 2024 Budget.
“We would have loved to have been involved with the Holy Trinity Church project and were thinking about exciting ways we could use the historic space to support the work of St Helena once we had taken occupation in 2028.
“Withdrawing now is the right decision for St Helena before we spend any money on the project as we focus our energy on maintaining, strengthening and rebuilding our hospice services to be able to continue to support those people in our community who need us most.”
The £4.3 million scheme, supported by a development phase grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, and by other major funders, aims to restore the historic building, remove it from the Heritage at Risk register, and create a flexible, welcoming space for community activities by 2027. The Heritage Fund met with the council last week and agreed to give it more time to review plans and explore alternative users.
Essential roof repairs begun earlier this year, marking the first visible step in the long-anticipated regeneration of Colchester’s oldest standing building.
Holy Trinity Church is part of a wider vision for Colchester’s city centre, alongside over 15 major projects – including St Botolph’s Quarter, the new Digital Forum, and the restoration of Jumbo water tower – unlocking millions in investment and creating a vibrant and inclusive city, which will look completely different by 2030.
For more information on Colchester’s regeneration projects, visit: www.colchester.gov.uk/citycentre.
Page last reviewed: 27 November 2025