A FORMER church in Bowcombe will become a house.

The Isle of Wight Council has approved planning permission for the conversion.

Submitted by the Isle of Wight Methodist Church Circuit, Bowcombe Methodist Church, on Bowcombe Road, will become a four-bedroom affordable house.

The church ceased services in June last year.

The main alteration to the building internally will be a mezzanine level added, with the current church windows looking out across the Bowcombe Valley providing the main living space.

A planning statement prepared for the application said: "Uppermost in the design concept was the desire to retain the existing building’s original identity —  one of a simple and unadorned place of worship built to serve the religious needs of the local farming community — while providing an attractive, functional, accessible and adaptable residential environment for the prospective occupants.

"It cannot be denied that working within constraints presented an

architectural challenge. However, the Church trustees are confident the design submitted has achieved the brief of retaining the existing character of the building and making best use of the available space."

Permission was granted for the conversion, and demolition of a toilet block, earlier this month, but is subject to 11 conditions, including building a bat box for the Pipistrelle bats who roost in the church and allowing archaeologists access any time to record any features of archaeological significance found during the works as it is close to the Clatterford Roman Villa.