Medieval church gutted by fire to be restored

Nine crews tackled the blaze at the Church of St Mary in Wimbotsham

A 12th Century church which was gutted by a fire five years ago is to undergo a full restoration.

Work at the Church of St Mary in Wimbotsham, Norfolk would see the building restored - including an extension and car park.

However, West Norfolk Council said several graves and headstones would need to be removed.

Councillors voted to approve the renovation work, which would be carried out by Wimbotsham Parochial Church Council.

At the time of the incident in 2019, nine crews tackled the blaze which devastated the church.

As well as restoring the church building, an extension and additional car parking spaces are planned so it can be used as a community hub.

Karen Wanless said during a West Norfolk Council planning committee meeting on Tuesday that she was upset and it was "unnecessary" for graves and headstones would need to be removed.

She called for the extensions to be scaled back saying the church had only been used one day a week before the fire.

The plans would see the church restored and extended with additional parking

Richard Smith, Norfolk County Council's highways officer, objected to the plans, saying he feared the increased use of the building could cause traffic issues.

He called for the additional parking spaces to be removed from the plans due to poor visibility at the junction from the church onto the main road.

However, councillors were supportive of the application.

Green councillor Pallavi Devulapalli said: "It is important churches remain living, breathing spaces.

"Lots of people will travel by car so it is important we allow this access."