Conversion of Berkshire village church into office approved

The Methodist Church in Alma Road, a residential street in the village of Eton Wick has been out of use since January 2022.

Now, the church can be converted into an office despite concerns raised by council officers at the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead that it would lead to the loss of a community asset.

Council planning officer Tom Hughes recommended that the conversion be refused as it will see the permanent loss of a shared space for use by the community.

However, this recommendation was overturned by councillors who agreed that turning the church into an office would be appropriate.

Councillor Devon Davies (Liberal Democrats, Eton and Castle) supporting the conversion, listed the community facilities that Eton already has a gallery, a museum, a library and a public hall.

He said: "If we are thinking of rejecting this on grounds of policy, but we are not thinking about this on the grounds of common sense."

A previous application for the conversion of the church into an office was refused as the church had not been on the market for more than 12 months.

The Royal Borough's planning policies state that a community facility can only be lost once evidence of consultation is provided and can only be sold after a 12-month marketing exercise.

However, a follow-up application for the conversion project was submitted after the original plan was refused in October last year.

Cllr Julian Tisi (Liberal Democrats, Eton and Castle) launched a motion for the conversion to be approved against officer recommendations.

He said: "This was refused last time because there hadn't been 12 months of marketing.

"There has been now, there has been more than that.

"Eton Wick is a very tightly knit community, and I haven't heard any opposition at all."

The church was marketed by Kempton Carr Croft, with an advert showing the church hall, kitchen and seating area.

No internal or external alterations were proposed, with the kitchen being retained, with the seating area theoretically functioning as a staff room.

The approved floorplan for the conversion of Eton Wick Methodist Church in Alma Road into an office. (Image: Eves)

Ulitmately, the conversion was approved by councillors on the Windsor and Ascot development management committee at a meeting on June 6.

Of the eight councillors present, seven voted to approve the conversion, with cllr Sayonara Luxton (Conservative,  Sunningdale and Cheapside).

The conversion project was officially approved by letter on June 20.

You can view the application by typing reference 24/00785/FULL into the council's planning portal.

According to its website, the Thames Valley Methodist Circuit which sold the building continues to worship at 10 churches throughout Slough, Maidenhead and Windsor.