A PARISH council has welcomed news that public access to the village war memorial and memorial garden within the grounds of a church will be preserved by its new private owner.

Members of Middleton St George Parish Council had raised fears that access to the grounds of St Laurence’s Church could be cut off as part of plans to convert the Grade II-listed building into a family dwelling.

Councillors agreed the village war memorial and memorial garden, used by many to scatter the ashes of loved ones, remained an important place for residents and should not be lost.

Architects working with the new owner on the plans to convert St Laurence’s into a single home said access to the war memorial and memorial garden would be “retained” and that it would form part of the planning process.

The planning application for St Laurence’s Church, in Middleton St George, has been submitted to Darlington Borough Council, almost three years after it was officially closed by Church Commissioners on the grounds that the costs of maintenance and repairs had become too much.

Councillor Brian Jones said members were alarmed at the thought of losing access to the memorial garden and war memorial.

He said: “It is concerning – the memorial belongs to the village and there are remains in the garden that people want to be able to visit regularly.

“There is also the issue of its upkeep, who is going to pay for the garden and the war memorial to be maintained?

“We have no particular concerns about the plans to convert the church building but we are worried about the grounds.”

When contacted by The Northern Echo, Steve Dodds from SJD Architects, said: “Access to the site will be retained.

“It has been raised by the council planners and it will be dealt with through the planning process.”

Councillor Jones said he was pleased to hear that the new owner had committed to retaining access but added: “We will be keeping a close eye on how they go about maintaining the site.

“Things do change, the same person may not own the site in ten years time. It is not just a place for Remembrance Sunday, people go there regularly.”