A RENEWED bid to alter a historic set of wrought-iron church gates has been described as “a classic example of health and safety gone silly”.

The picturesque Grade II-listed gateway to St Mary’s Church in Kirkby Lonsdale is to be visited by a government planning inspector later this summer after a planning appeal was lodged by Merlin Hibbs, lay chair of the parochial church council.

Seventeen neighbours objected last autumn when Mr Hibbs sought listed building consent to reposition the gates' closing mechanisms from about 80cm above ground to 1.6 metres. A member of the public had raised concern that a child's fingers could be crushed.

South Lakeland District Council refused consent, noting there had been no reported accidents since the gates came into use, probably in Victorian times.

Planners decided the proposals to relocate the rise-and-fall mechanisms would “adversely affect the appearance and historic significance” of the gates and this would “not be outweighed by any perceived public benefit”.

Mr Hibbs has now appealed to the Planning Inspectorate against that refusal, citing three reasons, including the fact the mechanism is "not original".

The appeal document states there is "no wish to disturb what has existed for probably more than 100 years", adding: "However, as the Kirkby Lonsdale Parochial Church Council we have a legal duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to reduce the risk so far as reasonably practicable."

Kirkby Lonsdale Town Council’s deputy chair, Cllr Allan Muirhead, said “quite a few people” felt “disappointed” about the appeal.

“I was one of the objectors to begin with,” he said. “I thought it was a classic example of health and safety gone silly.

“Such a small issue as a gate hinge seems to me a waste of time. It’s an awful amount of red tape to go through for one person’s passing observation.

“This is from an organisation where lit candles are left unattended day in day out by people who go in and leave prayers."

Describing the appeal as “over the top” and “a waste of time”, Mr Muirhead said last year's decision should have been accepted “with good grace”.

PCC lay chair Mr Hibbs said he did not wish to respond to the councillor's comments.

He told the Gazette: "This is a technical appeal. We will take what the appeal says and we will have done all we need to do and that will be the end of it."

Kirkby Lonsdale and District Civic Society told the Gazette it had decided to make no comment on the initial application after a full discussion by the committee. Chairman Anne Burgess said the society had no further comments on the appeal.