RESIDENTS have been angered by plans to turn a much-loved church hall into a home.

Mistley with Manningtree Parochial Church Council (PCC) has submitted plans to convert St Mary’s Church Hall in New Road, Mistley, into a single four-bedroom home.

The move comes just weeks after the hundred-year-old hall was registered as an asset of community value.

Tendring Council’s cabinet agreed with Mistley Thorn Residents’ Association that the Grade II listed building is an asset of community value as it felt the hall use furthers the social wellbeing or social interests of the community.

It means that if the owners wish to sell the property they must tell the council and the council will inform the residents’ association and community groups have six weeks to register their intent to bid following which they have six months to come up with money.

Deborah Burrows, of Oxford Road, Manningtree, hit out at the plans.

“I strongly object to the hall being changed into a dwelling,” she said.

“This is a beautiful asset of the community. It would be detrimental to the area to have yet another public building turned into a home.”

A design statement by the PCC said the church has been unable to cover the basic running costs of the building.

It added: “As the church is a charity with defined objectives, it is difficult to justify the expenditure on a building that does not directly contribute to those objectives.

“With this in mind and with competing priorities for volunteers time and donors money, it is no longer sustainable for the church to continue to run the building.

“After many years of seeking solutions to the hall’s problems, a decision has finally been made to sell the hall.”

It added that any money raised by the sale of the hall will be re-invested into St Mary and St Michael’s parish church.

A decision is expected to be made by Tendring council planners by March 16.