A FORMER church in Teignmouth could be given a new lease of life as a restaurant and dessert shop under plans submitted to Teignbridge Council.

Submitted by Fan of Dessert Ltd, the proposal - reference 26/01355/FUL - would see the Grade II listed United Reformed Church on Dawlish Street brought back into regular use.

Plans have been designed around what already exists inside the building, with the applicants saying the aim is to create a sustainable new use, while protecting its architectural and historic character.

The proposed restaurant would make use of the church’s existing main kitchen, which would be brought back into active use for preparing and cooking food.

Crucially, a new kitchen would not be installed, rather a lightweight, non-structural service counter would be installed in the main customer area for preparing and serving desserts and drinks.

The counter would include freestanding display equipment for items such as ice cream, cakes and other desserts.

The applicant says these additions would be reversible and could be removed without materially changing the structure of the building.

The remainder of the work would largely involve fitting out the building with loose seating, serving and display equipment and other fixtures needed to operate the business.

The proposed layout is intended to preserve the open character of the former church, with no structural alterations planned to the principal building.

The plans also seek to avoid unnecessary subdivision of the main church space and make use of existing rooms and facilities wherever possible.

According to the proposal, the approach would provide a ‘low-intervention and largely reversible’ form of adaptive reuse, allowing the currently vacant building to return to productive use, while retaining its distinctive features.

If approved, the new restaurant and dessert shop would employ eight people – four full-time and four part-time.

The applicant says having an active business operating from the building would help support its security, maintenance and long-term conservation.

Given the status of the church, Listed Building Consent is also being sought, submitted under 26/01356/LBC

Teignbridge Council is expected to make a decision by November 2.

To view the proposal, and to comment on the application, visit Teignbridge Council’s planning portal and enter ‘26/01355/FUL’ into the search-box.