A former Sikh temple which was saved from demolition will be turned into flats.

The car-free proposals for the old Gurdwara in Clarence Place, Gravesend were discussed at a planning committee where councillors approved the application.

Councillors accepted the plans and council officers will now decide the relevant planning conditions and the completion of a Section 106 agreement for developer contributions to community facilities and services.

It will be converted into 14 residential apartments, a library, cycle and bin storage facilities.

The derelict building – which once served as a place of worship – was saved from demolition in 2020 when councillors voted against plans to flatten it and build 19 flats.

The new application submitted to Gravesham council in July outlined adjusted plans to instead convert the temple into flats as opposed to demolishing it.

It will create six apartments on the ground floor, five on the first floor and a further three on the top floor all of which will be a mixture of one and two bedrooms.

The lower ground floor will hold a library, entrance lobby, cycle and bin stores.

After the planning meeting, a spokesman from the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara management team released a statement welcoming the decision.

It read: "We are pleased to announce that GBC has approved the Gurdwara’s application for conversion of the existing building.

"This has been a long process, with applications and appeals being submitted over the last 10 years.

"This development will convert the derelict building into much-needed housing for residents in central Gravesham.

"We will now start planning the work and will keep the Sangat informed of progress."

The building was originally built as Milton Congregational Church and lecture hall in 1873 before becoming a place of worship for Sikhs in 1968.

It has been vacant since 2010 and has been subject to various spates of vandalism.