PLANS to sell a dilapidated village hall to move community activities into a Grade II-listed church look set to take a major step forward next week.

Dishforth Parish Council has applied for outline planning permission for a pair of semi-detached houses on the site of the present village hall.

The council wants to sell the hall to help fund a £260,000 project to convert the village's Christ Church into a new community facility.

Architects have estimated that because the church building is listed, the conversion will cost an extra £95,000.

Harrogate Borough Council planning officer Mike Warden said selling the hall would result in the loss of a community facility and questioned whether it had been marketed to explore the possibility of other uses.

However, he has recommended that, once a legal agreement has been signed to ensure the proceeds from the sale of the hall go towards converting the church, planning permission should be granted.

"The additional expenditure of £95,000 is considered to be a material consideration in the determination of this application," he said.

"In the circumstances, it is considered reasonable to set aside the normal requirements for marketing the village hall, in order to enable the funds realised from the sale of the site with a benefit of outline planning permission to allow the funds to be channelled into the conversion of the former church to provide a replacement village hall."

The council's planning committee will meet on Tuesday to discuss the plans