Appeal to be heard on St. Philip's church demolition

The fight over whether to save or demolish an old Anglican church in St. Philip's has moved to a new stage, with an appeal being filed to a government-supervised board.

The Town of Portugal Cove-St. Philip's voted narrowly last week to approve demolition of the once-iconic old church, where the steeple was anonymously sawed down in March 2010.

The town says that council's decision will be heard by the Eastern Newfoundland Regional Appeal Board, which has not yet set a date to hear the application.

A citizens group has fought to maintain the 120-year-old building, which the Anglican church replaced years ago. Residents consider the church and steeple a symbol of the coastal community.

The Anglican parish has long argued that it should not have to maintain a building it no longer uses, and that it should be able to use the land for other purposes.