PLANS to turn a former Teignmouth church into a restaurant and dessert shop have been withdrawn.

The application, submitted by Fan of Dessert Ltd, proposed bringing the Grade II listed United Reformed Church on Dawlish Street, pictured, back into regular use.

Teignbridge’s planning portal was updated on Wednesday, October 7, to confirm that the application had been withdrawn.

No reason for the withdrawal has yet been made public.

The proposal, registered under planning application reference 26/01355/FUL, would have seen the vacant building adapted for use as a restaurant and dessert shop, while aiming to retain its historic and architectural character.

Plans had been designed around the church’s existing interior, with the applicant describing the proposed work as a ‘low-intervention and largely reversible’ form of adaptive reuse.

The existing main kitchen would have been brought back into use for preparing and cooking food, while no new kitchen was proposed.

Instead, a lightweight, non-structural service counter would have been installed in the main customer area for preparing and serving desserts and drinks.

The counter would have included freestanding display equipment for products including ice cream, cakes and other desserts.

The applicant said the additions could be removed without materially altering the historic fabric of the building.

Much of the remaining work would have involved fitting out the interior with loose seating, serving and display equipment and other fixtures required to operate the business.

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

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

If the plans had gone ahead, the business was expected to create eight jobs, with four full-time and four part-time positions.

The applicant argued that returning the building to active use would also help with its security, maintenance and long-term conservation.

Because the building is Grade II listed, a separate Listed Building Consent application was also submitted under reference 26/01356/LBC, which has also been withdrawn.

The withdrawal means the council will no longer determine the application in its current form.

It does not necessarily mean the proposed restaurant and dessert shop will not return in a revised application.

Planning applications can be withdrawn for a variety of reasons, including concerns raised during the assessment process, missing technical information, objections or where an applicant wishes to amend proposals before submitting them again.

It is not clear whether Fan of Dessert Ltd intend to submit revised plans for the former church.