Calverton Baptist Church is a split-site church which comprises a Main Hall site on Main Street, Calverton, and a separate smaller Hall building located in ‘The Nook’, a few minutes’ walk away. The church has found that in recent years the Hall building located on The Nook was not being used as frequently, and therefore they had concerns about the future viability of the building and the possibility that it may fall into disrepair and become a financial burden.
The church therefore approached Church Growth Trust for advice on whether planning permission could perhaps be secured for the change of use of the premises to residential, with the view being that the site could then perhaps be sold, with the proceeds of the sale being used to fund extension and renovation works to the main church site.
Church Growth Trust worked alongside the church to put together a scheme proposal for the submission of a change of use planning permission application. The design proposal for this required careful consideration, and quite a lot of dialogue with the local planning authority, given that the existing Hall building was designated as a ‘locally important heritage asset’ and located within the conservation area of the village.
Planning permission has recently been granted, and the church are currently looking into the marketing of the application site, and onwards towards the prospect of enhancing their main site to allow them to hopefully further their Gospel outreach work within Calverton.
‘We would like to thank the Church Growth Trust for holding our hand through the complicated application for planning permission, which was made very difficult during the pandemic and for their constant prompt attention and support’.
Judith Fox, Church Secretary. Calverton Baptist Church
