Blueprints have been submitted to replace a dated church hall next to Great Clacton’s historic St John’s Church.

The church council has applied to Tendring Council for permission to demolish the existing church hall, in St John’s Road, and replace it with a modern building.

A report said the existing church hall was only ever intended to be a temporary building when it was placed in the churchyard in 1981.

“It is now in a parlous state and in need of replacement,” it added.

“The proposal is to demolish the existing hall and to build a new hall to current standards, and to a quality consistent with the historic setting.

“The discrete siting of the hall mitigates the fact that it is a low quality building that is now in a poor state of repair despite efforts by the church council to keep it in good condition.

“The existing building is of no merit whatsoever and demolition and rebuilding is the only option.

“Through the energy and dedication of the church community St John’s Church, closed because of its poor condition in 1986, was returned to use in 2005.

“The existing church hall is a low quality sectional building, entirely inappropriate to its historic setting, and in need of replacement.

“St John’s is large and robust in character. The proposed new structures are discretely sited and small in scale and there is no reason why their construction should not be be a successful and enhancement of the historic building.”

The new building, which will include toilets and a kitchen, will occupy the same part of the site and will be slightly bigger than the existing hall.

It is designed to have minimal impact on the Grade I listed church, which dates from the 12th century, and will include materials to complement the building, including a structural glass front.

A decision on the application is expected to be made by Tendring Council by September 12.