Church to become modern home in preservation bid

The building has stood vacant for the past five years after it was used as an office

A church which was last used as a place of worship more than four decades ago is to be turned into a modern home.

A developer hopes to "preserve and invigorate" the former St Andrew's Church, in Burwell, Cambridgeshire, which closed in the 1980s.

Since then, the building had been used as an office but it has remained vacant for the past five years.

Phoenix Property Development Group Ltd said: "[These plans] will invigorate the building and ensure it's ongoing preservation by creating a high-quality dwelling in the village."

Planning permission was previously given in 2019 for the building to be turned into a home, however, it was not converted.

Within plans submitted to East Cambridgeshire District Council, the building could be split into two floors.

Planning officers from the council agreed the plans would be a good way to bring the building back into use and preserve it for the future, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It said: "The building is considered to be a heritage asset and has been nominated for inclusion on the Cambridge Local Heritage List Project.

"The current application would allow the building to be in use again, thus helping to prevent deterioration of the building over time if it sits empty and would be a less intensive use in a residential area than either of the former uses."