YORK'S churches have been here before. Population changes, declining congregations and a desire to deploy clergy where they are most needed has led to several previous church reviews recommending that certain holy buildings be axed.

In the most infamous case, five ancient churches were threatened not only with closure but with demolition. It was 1931 and York's population was moving away from the centre to the suburbs.

As a result, city centre places of worship were losing their congregations. Then, as now, the Archbishop of York appointed a commission to look at the problem. Dr William Temple knew that he could not ignore the demographic shift.

But the commission's findings were shocking. It said five churches should be pulled down: Holy Trinity, King's Square; St Michael's, Spurriergate; St Saviour's, St Saviourgate; St John's, Micklegate; and St Mary's, Bishophill Senior.

Dr William Evelyn, one of York's foremost conservationists and secretary of the Yorkshire Architectural and York Archaeological Society, was horrified. He set about gathering opposition to the proposal.

In the end, the Archbishop chose not to follow the commission's radical suggestion. Over time both Holy Trinity and St Mary deteriorated to the point they could not be saved. But the remaining three survived.

Subsequently, in 1968, another report was published with a more positive approach. Real Uses For Old Churches, edited by Dr Brian Morris, then a churchwarden at Heslington, envisaged developing ten old churches as secular public buildings such as hotels and restaurants.

Not everyone was enamoured of the idea, however.

The then vicar of Coxwold, Canon Harry Broughton, wrote in his parish magazine: "To use an old church, no matter how redundant, as a restaurant or hotel or students' hostel or as a home for vagrants will not, I think, commend itself to many people: not even those who no longer use our churches for the purpose for which they were built."

Given these past wrangles, it should be no surprise to the authors of this week's report on the future of York's churches that their recommendations have stirred up controversy. Several churches should be closed, says the Archbishop of York's Commission On Pastoral Provision For The City And Deanery Of York.

These include St Helen's in St Helen's Square; Holy Trinity and St Martin cum Gregory, both in Micklegate; and All Saints in North Street.

There is, however, no suggestion that these historic buildings be torn down. "In earlier centuries there were many more church buildings than now," the commission states.

"At present there are within approximately one square mile nine Church of England churches officially in use, plus the Minster. Most are listed Grade I.

"Much hard work, effort and financial support has gone into ensuring that the church buildings still in use are in a fairly good state.

"Substantial grants have been received from English Heritage and from local and other trusts."

So, where the authors propose a church be made redundant, they follow this recommendation by the words "and a suitable secondary use found for it".

But is an old church fit for anything else but worship?

Yes, says Professor Patrick Nuttgens, architect, one of the founders of York University and former chairman of the Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust.

"After all, most of them are extremely well built.

"They have big spaces inside for a lot of people to congregate and so are good places for having meetings of any kind."

Prof Nuttgens says the reuse of St John's Church - one of those saved by Dr Evelyn - helped gain York its university. It was turned into the Institute of Advanced Architectural Studies.

When the Government decided to create eight new universities, it favoured those cities which had already taken steps towards setting one up.

The architecture college proved York had done just that.

St John's later had a third use: as York Arts Centre. Now, however, the university has put it up for sale.

The future of another redundant church is also uncertain. St Mary's, Castlegate, was sold to the city council for one shilling, and opened in 1975 as the York Story.

That exhibition has since closed, and the city's new Museum's Trust is considering what to do with it.

Elsewhere, however, resurrected churches are still going strong. The St Sampson's Social Centre For Old People was opened by the Queen Mother in 1974 and thrives today.

So too does the Spurriergate Centre. New life was brought to the 12th century St Michael's Church when it reopened in 1989 as a restaurant and fair trade shop.

Combining Christian principles with a profit-making business, it has been a hit with York people and tourists. Today it even boasts an al fresco eating area.

More recently, St Margaret's Church, Walmgate, was converted into the National Centre For Early Music.

Previously used as a Theatre Royal property store, a £1.5 million Lottery grant helped transform the Grade I listed building, filling it once more with music and life.

The Archbishop of York, Dr David Hope, gave the opening address in spring 2000.

Fittingly, then, there is every chance for Christian churches to be reborn and serve their community anew.

Updated: 11:08 Thursday, September 05, 2002