Plan have been drawn up to turn Liverpool’s “bombed-out church” into a food hub where people can be taught how to cook.

Garston-based Can Cook Studio have come up with proposals which include building a new structure inside the shell of St Luke’s Church which would become a venue for cookery lessons.

The firm is also hoping to include a cafe inside the building in order to help make sure the venture is commercially viable.

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But as yet Liverpool council has made no decision on the future of the church, which has so far attracted proposals from hotel operators Signature Living and arts group Urban Strawberry Lunch.

Can Cook aims to “get people off the fast food bandwagon and excited about cooking and food once again”.

The firm’s Robbie Davidson told the ECHO that he was also in talks with Liverpool-based Big Heritage about teaming up so that the church could also be used as a base for tourist walks around the city.

Mr Davidson said: “We are leading on food poverty in the city, but we want to offer food for everyone, regardless of income.

“But we are really keen for it to become a tourist hub that you can conduct tours from and give out information, everything really that will draw attention to the building. It will be a place for people to meet but also create an income stream.”

In pictures: St Luke's in Liverpool

Mr Davidson said Can Cook had put together a strong business case and that Snow Architects had drawn up plans for the building.

But despite initially approaching the council with the idea back in January, he had not had any response.

Until recently St Luke's was being used by Urban Strawberry Lunch as a venue for arts projects and gigs.

But this week the arts collective announced it had gone into liquidation because it was struggling to pay its debts as a result of failing to secure grant funding.

After the Echo reported that Signature Living had approached the council about using St Luke's as a wedding venue there was an outcry from groups who said it was a war memorial and that it should not be used for commercial gain.

Last week, Mayor Anderson announced that he would be holding a public debate on the future of the building and inviting ideas of how to secure it for the long-term.

He has insisted that the building was never up for sale, saying the council received an unsolicited approach from a private organisation, and their proposal has been rejected.

He said: “I believe that setting up a CIC is our best option and will give us the opportunity to work with as many people as possible who all have the interests of St Luke’s at heart.”

More on St Luke's church:

April 8 : Urban Strawberry Lunch in new battle for St Luke's

April 4 : Mayor of Liverpool rejects controversial plans to turn 'bombed-out' church into a wedding hotel

March 27 : Developer who wants to buy St Luke's has plans to turn it into a hotel

March 24 : Yoko Ono joins more than 18,000 people in backing 'save Bombed Out Church' campaign

March 21 : Arts group in urgent talks with council to try to stop bombed out church sale to developers

March 21 : Seven reasons why we should cherish Liverpool's St Luke's Bombed Out Church

March 21 : Liverpool council confirms developers' approach for city's iconic 'bombed out church'