Historic church on Yorkshire coast to be turned into four and five-bedroom apartments

St Bartholomew’s Church, in Ruswarp, near Whitby, was built between 1868 and 69 and is now set to be converted into two flats. The conversion of the historic building was approved on Wednesday (Dec 14). The plans suggest much of the internal historic fabric of the building is to be maintained and will form features within the new dwellings which will be made up of four and five-bedroom apartments.

The existing stained-glass windows will be retained, though secondary timber glazing will be installed to ensure appropriate thermal and acoustic insulation is provided. However, parts of the interior will be donated locally or removed by the Church Diocese.

The font, two altars, a pulpit, lectern, reredos, priest’s chair and kneeler, and kneeling desk will be removed by the Diocese, while a war memorial roll of honour will be relocated to the village hall, and a bullet-pierced crucifix will go to Whitby Museum. The rood beam above the chancel arch and the associated plaque are set to be relocated to a “yet to be identified” public building in Whitby.

The application, submitted by Dominic Woodward on behalf of Tri-Core Developments Ltd, received no objections from Whitby Town Council nor SBC’s environmental services team.

Two members of the public took part in a public consultation, with one comment calling for mitigation for “bats and/or swifts” to be considered. The other public comment raised concerns over vehicular access.

Following a consultation in 2018, an Archdeacon’s working party recommended “that the church should be closed” due to “a steady decline” of parishioners. The local planning authority stated that it was satisfied that “there is no other viable use in this instance” for the building and as such did not oppose the plans. A council report on the conversion states that “the proposal has been sensitively designed so as to limit the amount of alteration to the external appearance of the building and preserve what is considered a locally significant building”.

The plan was approved subject to conditions ensuring “that no unsympathetic alterations” take place as well as ruling out the use of the property as a commercial holiday let.