Plans to turn a redundant Brightlingsea church into a family home have been approved by Tendring District Council.

The approval means that work can now begin on the conversion of the Grade II-listed New Church in Queen Street. The church was built in 1868 at a cost £1,150.

The plans, submitted by Marlies White of Silcott Street, will see the addition of a first floor over around half of the nave, with the retention of many of the building’s original features and it’s exterior left largely unchanged.

Strict conditions apply to the development, with planners insisting that no physical alterations can take place until a “programme of historic building recording and associated analysis work” has been approved by the council “to ensure matters of archaeological importance are preserved and secured early to ensure avoidance of damage or loss”.

The applicants will also have to submit detailed plans for the installation of solar panels, electric vehicle charging points, hard and soft landcaping, screen walls and fences, bin storage and cycle storage.

In the application documents, Colchester architects Duncan Clark & Beckett said: “The application for change for change of use will restore an important part of Brightlingsea’s heritage that has stood vacant for more than a decade. The applicants were the only prospective buyers of this property who were not developers – the only party who did not intend to convert the property to as many residential units as possible.”