PLANS have been lodged to convert a former church hall in Kendal into a community facility which will include a café.

The Eddington Kendal CIC has submitted a planning application to transform the former United Reformed Church hall on Highgate into a community facility.

The proposed community café will consist of a café, food larder and a training kitchen.

Planning documents state: “the proposals will have positive impact on the listed building by bringing a currently vacant building back into active use, thus aiding the long-term maintenance of the site.”

“The proposed development will deliver substantial public benefits by providing a community facility and securing the optimum viable uses of part of a heritage asset.”

The lean-to structure between the church and church hall will be demolished and will be replaced by a more ‘attractive’ link between the buildings.

The site has been renamed as The Eddington Kendal as part of a project to preserve the buildings on the site as an ‘asset’ for the town.

The initial phase of development is focused upon the former church hall for which an anchor tenant has been secured – Waste into Wellbeing, a project of Kendal based South Lakes Action on Climate Change (SLACC), planning documents state.

According to plans SLACC have been searching for three years for suitable premises to consolidate their existing food larder, Kendal People’s Café and community cooking activities.

The organisation also has an agreement with Kendal Town Council to provide space for a ‘sustainability hub’ to take forward the recommendations of the Kendal Citizens Climate Jury.

Planning documents state The Eddington Kendal provides an ‘ideal space’ for both these activities.

The planning application is currently under consideration.