Plans to build new homes on the site of a former church have been submitted to the council.

The application, if successful, would see three houses with seven off-street parking spaces constructed in Vernon Street, Nelson.

The plans, submitted by Preston-based firm Moduliv, would transform the site of the former Spiritualist Church which was constructed in 1907 but fell into disrepair before being demolished after a fire in 2019.

Plans submitted to Pendle Council describe the site currently as “unkempt” and a magnet for fly-tipping, making the land, which sits between a children’s playground and community centre, both an eyesore and dangerous.

The application states: “The site is unallocated in the Council’s Local Plan Proposals Map, although it sits in a mainly residential area.

“It is therefore intended to develop the site to provide three family homes.”

The site is surrounded by terraced housing on steeply sloping streets and is a short walk from Nelson town centre and transport links.

The plans say the houses, one two-bedroom home and two four-bedroom homes, would be in-keeping with the area by forming a terraced block but would have off-street parking, something nearby homes do not.

“The dwellings have been designed to be in keeping with the surrounding area,” the plans add.

“External walls are stone. Windows have artificial stone surrounds. The pitched roof is slate. The dormers are also pitched and finished in slate.”

An existing sycamore tree on the site would be removed for the plans to go ahead, but two new trees would be planted to account for the loss.

Each of the properties would also have a small rear garden backing onto the alleyway that runs between Vernon Street and Hartley Street.

Public consultation on the plans is open until Thursday, October 10, with Pendle Council aiming to make a decision on the plans by October 31.

To comment on the application, visit the planning section of Pendle Council’s website.