A disused church building may be knocked down to make way for three houses.

If so its burial ground would be preserved and its wartime memorial moved.

A planning application has been submitted to demolish the former United Reformed Church building at Chapel Road, Whitfield.

It will be discussed in an online meeting for Dover District Council's planning committee this week.

The church, built in 1867, is now mostly empty of its fixtures and fittings.

It has a plaque for fallen First World War heroes, which must be preserved as a planning condition.

The plan is to either move it to the burial ground or to the nearby Dover Transport Museum.

But otherwise, officers explained, the structure is not a designated heritage asset, nor within a conservation area and is not on the local list of buildings having historic interest.

They are recommending that councillors approve this work and placing the new two-storey houses.

In the consultation with locals, 11 were neutral and 18, plus Whitfield Parish Council, were against the application.

Objectors said there were no plans to maintain the burial ground and that the building should be converted rather than demolished.

They added that the development lacked enough parking spaces, would affect highway safety and that there was no need for any more homes in Whitfield.

And they said the planned new homes were too small.

The online planning committee meeting is on Thursday from 5.30pm.

The agenda is in the calendar of meetings section of the council website dover.gov.uk and there are instructions to link on.

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