Weymouth Town Council is backing plans to convert a redundant church in Sutton Poyntz into a four-bed home.

The town council’s planning committee met on Tuesday to decide a planning application to convert the Sutton Road Evangelical Church.

The application was submitted by Weymouth resident Matthew Williams who wants to convert the redundant chapel and create a new garage on the 376 square metre site.

Councillor voted unanimously in support of the project.

Cllr Jan Bergman said: “Normally I wouldn’t want to see a church converted into housing, but I think in this case as Cllr Manning has said it has been out of use for a long time and I think the village would like it to be in use again, at least for housing.”

Cllr Ann Weaving said: “I’m glad it’s being brought back into use; it has been empty for a long while.”

Cllr David Manning added: “Last time I went in there it was 25 to 30 years ago, it wants something done there.”

The application said the chapel ceased to be used in December 2009 and is first show on maps dating from 1937.

It is believed that the Fellowship originally met in the 1930s in a house in Seven Acres Road, known as the Gospel Room, and then moved to Preston Gospel Hall in Sutton Road, which was then re-named.

The building was originally a timber structure but was later faced in stone.

Cllr Trefor Morgan added: “It’s an interesting building. It has the original timber building inside it and it’s cladded with stone, which is rather unusual.”

Plans for the building include moving the entrance to the side, adding a pitched roof stone garage on the side of the building and converting the interior to create four bedrooms.

Weymouth town Council’s planning committee is only advisory.

The plans will go before Dorset Council for a final decision.