New church toilet in limbo because of planning concerns

The new toilet would replace an older one, seen to the left of the church

A bid for a new outside toilet at a village church has become bogged down by planning concerns.

People living in Marstow in Herefordshire raised £179,000 for structural repairs to St Matthew's Church, including the new loo.

But a Herefordshire Council officer said the location "encroaches on several historic gravestones".

Church representatives said moving it to a new location would cost an extra £6,000, which it does not have.

The money raised included a lottery grant of £105,000 and it would pay for a new community space within the church, as well as the timber-framed accessible toilet.

But the Local Democracy Reporting Service said council conservation officer Conor Ruttledge said its current position by the side of the church "harmed its setting".

His report suggested other locations in the churchyard where "its impact on the church, gravestones, and views towards these elements would be minimised".

But Sue Rolfe, chair of the Marstow parochial church council, said the extra money to change its location would be hard to find.

"We have run out of steam for any more fundraising," she said.

Churchwarden Phyll Hannah added: "How can a small community be expected to find £6,000 to move a toilet less than 10 yards on the whim of one person?"

A spokesperson for Herefordshire Council said it could not comment on a live application.