A CHURCH in Herefordshire looks set to be demolished as council planners give the green light for new houses in a rural village.

Herefordshire Council granted planning permission for the former timber Catholic church in Broad Oak, west of Ross-on-Wye, to be replaced by a pair of semi-detached three bedroomed cottages – despite objections from locals.

The three-bedroom homes will be built of stone with slate roofs and include garages, plans showed.

The Trustees of Belmont Abbey, which applied for the permission, said in the application that St Mary's Church had "been vacant for some years" and the site was "somewhat overgrown".

"The building has deteriorated significantly over time and today has very little community or aesthetic value," consultants working on the scheme said.

"Garway Parish has a very recently constructed and well used village hall in the adjacent village of Garway and as such there is little need for a community building which is outdated with no facilities and limited parking."

Objecting to the plans, locals said the development was too big for the small, rural hamlet and had concerns over drainage.

Kierson Wise said it was a "wholly disproportionate increase for such a small settlement" and was "well beyond" growth targets.

Listing his concerns, Nick Brooks agreed the development was disproportionate, adding: "The area surrounding the Catholic chapel has been an undisturbed habitat for decades which is a boon to local wildlife.

"There is a lack of infrastructure in the area, ni pavements, poor bus service, no schools, employment, or medical facilities within walking distance.

"I believe the proposed development would be a detriment of character of area and should be refused."

In a report before planning permission was granted, case officer Ollie Jones said the development was acceptable.

While Herefordshire Council accepted the plans resulted in the loss of the church building, it considered new homes would outweigh the loss

He added: "The scale of the proposed dwellings is reasonably modest and the design concept acceptable in this rural settlement, and with appropriate landscaping there would be no demonstrable harm to the setting of the wider landscape.

"There would also be no significant additional impacts on residential amenity no undue or insurmountable concerns regarding highway safety, drainage or ecology."

Plans were approved in July 2021, two years after the application was submitted.