Reordering

The proposals were to remove two pews and book boards from the west end of the nave, to re-site the font centrally in the west bay of the nave, to introduce kitchen cupboards against the north wall of the tower, to introduce display units and cupboards at the west end of both aisles and to do various works in the vestry. There were objections to the moving of the font and the loss of some pews. The Chancellor determined that the proposals were both necessary and appropriate and granted a faculty.

The petition related to the south transept of the Grade I church and the installation of underfloor heating beneath a new stone floor; the provision of a discreet tea point; and the introduction of heritage boards. The historic memorial slabs laid into the floor would be left in situ, covered by the heating elements and the new floor. The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings entered an objection and became a party opponent. The Chancellor dismissed the petition. He took the view that the proposals were unlikely to achieve what the parish seemed to want, namely, to heat the whole church which is ‘intolerably cold’ for several months of the year. The proposed underfloor heating in the south transept would only provide a partial solution, and one which would be largely compromised due to the inability to isolate the south transept as a sealed environment.