Who has converted a Church?
Discussion
Hi all.
Quick question, which will probably lead to a lot of stress and near financial ruin. Has anyone ever converted a place of worship to a residential?
From 'initial enquiries to the local Planning Department, it is also understood that it will be acceptable to change the use to a private dwelling, subject to the required planning consent(s).'
Would I be correct in assuming it'd be very difficult/impossible to get a mortgage to buy it whilst it is still registered as a place of worship?
IE, I'd have to buy it, without a mortgage, then hope the Council is good on their word, then look to get a mortgage once it is registered as a residential?
Any and all related help/advise/pointers appreciated.
Thanks, Stuart.
Quick question, which will probably lead to a lot of stress and near financial ruin. Has anyone ever converted a place of worship to a residential?
From 'initial enquiries to the local Planning Department, it is also understood that it will be acceptable to change the use to a private dwelling, subject to the required planning consent(s).'
Would I be correct in assuming it'd be very difficult/impossible to get a mortgage to buy it whilst it is still registered as a place of worship?
IE, I'd have to buy it, without a mortgage, then hope the Council is good on their word, then look to get a mortgage once it is registered as a residential?
Any and all related help/advise/pointers appreciated.
Thanks, Stuart.
Weirdly enough i watched an episode of grand designs last night with a couple doing what you are thinking of. It took months and months for paperwork to be sorted out, in fact im sure the bloke said he had had 4 years of meetings! and they didnt get the mortgage until it was all done and dusted (paperwork wise)
TheLordJohn said:
Hi all.
Quick question, which will probably lead to a lot of stress and near financial ruin. Has anyone ever converted a place of worship to a residential?
From 'initial enquiries to the local Planning Department, it is also understood that it will be acceptable to change the use to a private dwelling, subject to the required planning consent(s).'
Would I be correct in assuming it'd be very difficult/impossible to get a mortgage to buy it whilst it is still registered as a place of worship?
IE, I'd have to buy it, without a mortgage, then hope the Council is good on their word, then look to get a mortgage once it is registered as a residential?
Your other option is to apply for PP before sale - you don't have to own a place to apply. You'd need to do so with the vendor (presumably CoE or whoever) onside, because otherwise they might try and pull a fast one on you once it's granted...Quick question, which will probably lead to a lot of stress and near financial ruin. Has anyone ever converted a place of worship to a residential?
From 'initial enquiries to the local Planning Department, it is also understood that it will be acceptable to change the use to a private dwelling, subject to the required planning consent(s).'
Would I be correct in assuming it'd be very difficult/impossible to get a mortgage to buy it whilst it is still registered as a place of worship?
IE, I'd have to buy it, without a mortgage, then hope the Council is good on their word, then look to get a mortgage once it is registered as a residential?
desolate said:
kurt535 said:
bought with or without planning?
Have you read the OP?TheLordJohn said:
From 'initial enquiries to the local Planning Department, it is also understood that it will be acceptable to change the use to a private dwelling, subject to the required planning consent(s).'
Doncha just love Estate Agents and their Weasel Words?That's pretty much analagous to saying "Russian Roulette is 100% safe, so long as you don't get the loaded chamber".
Of f
king course it's acceptable to change the use to a dwelling, if you manage to obtain the necessary consent. That's a long way from the Local Authority saying 'we will grant such consent if you submit the required application'.We've worked on similar projects in the past.
FWIIW, the Planning side is frequently quite straighforward so long as the building is not listed. If it is listed, whilst not impossible, it becomes a real headache in terms of managing the necessary improvements required under Building Regulations (NOT Planning, mind you: the two are different systems and it's quite easy to obtain a Planning Permission that can't be implemented because it can't be made to comply with B.Regs), without conflict with preservation of features/character controlled by the Listing.
ChocolateFrog said:
Even with planning I would imagine getting a mortgage on what is effectively an empty shell would be very difficult, No?
There are specialist self-build mortgages available, including for conversions, but of course you need to ensure that the LTV of the finished conversion remains attractive to the lender.Equus said:
There are specialist self-build mortgages available, including for conversions, but of course you need to ensure that the LTV of the finished conversion remains attractive to the lender.
I think this is what I need to look into.It's a Church of England property. And I think I have read somewhere that this means different rules under the 'Listed' aspect of it.
Research required, basically.
- Edit* - Most out of character I have managed to contact someone who was A) helpful and B) the correct person to contact!
He said any offer would be subject to 'change of use' to residential property being approved, so that's an encouraging start.
Edited by TheLordJohn on Tuesday 17th October 12:29
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff