Hundreds of people have signed a petition to save an historic Truro Church which is threatened with demolition.

The grade II* listed St Paul's Church on Tregolls Road closed in 2008 and attempts by the Church of England to sell the property have failed, while Cornwall Council turned down the offer to take it on.

The Church Commissioners have now sought permission to demolish the building claiming it is in poor structural condition, but conservation organisation the Cornish Buildings Group has now raised its own objections to the plans.

The group has also launched a petition, and has stated: "We believe that a new use should be sought for such a significant heritage asset within a conservation area.

It has said that the argument for demolition is flawed and lacking evidence, and the destruction of the church would lead to the loss of a designated heritage asset.

The group stated in its petition: "The basis for demolition rests on the poor structural condition of the church, particularly the tower.

"The Historic Environment comments accompanying last year's pre-application for demolition confirmed that the building has some cracking but a recommendation by the structural engineers to monitor the cracks had not been carried out.

"While stone work, in particular the east end shows some sign of delineation, the Historic England stone expert, regarded it not to be the worst case he has seen. The council's response was that a proposal to demolish the listed church would not be supported on the basis of the incomplete nature of the information and evidence pertaining to its structural condition and the nature and extent of any processes that have or are occurring on site and within the structure. "

The church was built in 1848 and extended 1880s in the perpendicular style, and the latest Pevsner architectural guide describes the exterior as "highly accomplished."

Local banker William Mansell Tweedy paid for the construction of St Paul's as an overflow church for the parish of St Clements, and in 1864 it was consecrated and acquired its own parish.

In the early 1880s a major programme of extension was undertaken by JD Sedding, who replaced the single bay chancel with a much larger structure which included an organ chamber and a chapel, dedicated top St Clement. In 1889 the north aisle was completed and the church was reopened, while the battlemented tower was completed in 1910 by the architect's nephew EH Sedding.

To support the petition go to you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-st-paul-s-church-truro