PARISHONERS at a Burnley church are celebrating after a planning application to extend the church was given the green light.

The proposed plans, which will see additional community space and disabled access provided at Mount Zion Methodist Church in Cliviger, were set to be refused by planning officers.

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But in a surprise move councillors at the Burnley Council’s development control committee gave the scheme the go ahead.

The plans include disabled access via a lift system and a community area which is hoped to be used by local community groups, as well as a new entrance to the rear of the church.

The planning statement said: “The inclusion of a disabled access which provides access for all members of the community to the facilities offered at the church would indeed have a distinct social benefit, without having any detrimental effect on the visual appearance of the building.

“All new development will have to be in scale and keeping with the surrounding landscape, to have no negative impact on biological or ecological features of value.

“The application site is considerably constrained by the topography and land ownership. In order to provide access for the disabled and elderly members of the church community, it is necessary to provide some extension to the church to enable this to happen.”

The planning statement states the extension hopes to reflect the existing church, with the use of traditional materials such as stone, slate, render and modern materials in a glazed area on the front western side of the church.

Cliviger councillor David Heginbotham, who spoke on behalf of the church at the planning meeting, said: “The church just wanted to make the building fit for purpose.

“The planning officers were talking about it being 100-years-old, and the character, but basically it’s a square box. The committee voted it through and the congregation is quite happy.”

However planning officers said the planned appearance of the building did not meet their requirements.

The officer report read: “The proposed extension, by reason of its external appearance (in particular its window design and wall materials), and its position in front of the existing building, would adversely affect the visual amenities of the Burnley Road streetscene, contrary to Policy GP3 of the Burnley Local Plan, Second Review, currently saved.”

Despite reservations the application was passed on March 17.