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30
Jul
Plan to convert former Kirkby Malzeard church into house
A plan has been submitted to convert a former Kirkby Malzeard church into a house.
Yorkshire North And East Methodist District has lodged the proposal to North Yorkshire Council for the Kirkby Malzeard Methodist Church on Main Street in the village.
The church is currently vacant and has been on the market since October 2023. The last service held at the church was in October 2022.
The proposal would see the church converted into one dwelling. Extensions to the back of the building would be demolished to provide parking.
Skipton-based David Hill Estate Agents, which submitted the plan on behalf of the developer, said the scheme would help to bring the church back into “viable use”.
In planning documents, it said:
The proposal is located within the development limits of Kirkby Malzeard, and the creation of new dwellings is supported in principle by local policy in this location.
The proposed change of use is a sympathetic conversion that will retain the form of the existing buildings from public views from Main Street, whilst putting it into its optimum viable use and safeguarding the building within the street scene for future generations to enjoy.
According to council documents, the building at Kirkby Malzeard Methodist Church – also known as Ebenezer Chapel — was built in 1880.
A bid from Kirkby Malzeard, Laverton and Dallowgill Parish Council to list the church as an Asset of Community Value was rejected by the council in October 2023.
The authority decided to reject the nomination because the church “does not meet the definition of community value as detailed in the Localism Act 2011”.
North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.
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