A MEDIEVAL church on the outskirts of Newport is set for a new lease of life, with plans to convert it into a home.
Whitson Church, which is also known as St Mary’s Church, in the village of Whitson has stood empty for nearly 20 years, and the plans would see it brought back into use.
But, the proposal, which was approved by Newport City Council on Monday (November 29) is a contentious issue, due to flood risks.
Two years ago, the original plans to turn the church into a two bedroom house were thrown out by planners – as it lies within a flood risk area.
At the time, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has raised "significant concerns" with the proposed development.
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What has been said about the application?
The main argument in support of turning the church into a residential property is bringing it back into use.
In 2002, it was declared redundant by the Church in Wales, and ever since, it has stood empty.
As with any building, time has not been kind to Whitson Church, and it has continued to deteriorate through the years.
A Grade-II listed building, Hook Mason Limited have submitted a fresh planning application on behalf of a Mr Mike Devney to bring it back into use.
Plans show that the listed fabric of the building would be restored, and overall converted into a domestic dwelling.
What about flood risks?
As part of the application, the applicant carried out flood modelling, and though it concluded that the site was not flood free, it would be “inundated in a 1 in 200-year and 1 in 1000-year flood event”.
According to planning officers, this is “not acceptable and must weigh very heavily against this proposal”.
However, when considering the proposal, the planning officer found that bringing a vacant listed building, which is on the buildings at risk register back into use “should be given considerable weight as part of the overall assessment.”
Continuing, they said: “It is generally accepted that if planning permission is refused there is no appetite for a viable alternative ‘less vulnerable’ use of the building and it will be left vacant and likely to fall even further into disrepair.”
As part of the consultation period, Natural Resources Wales once again objected to the proposal on the grounds of the flood risks.
But despite these concerns, planning permission was granted on balance – subject to a £1,840 payment being made as part of a Section 106 agreement to ensure an affordable housing provision is met.
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