PLANNING permission is being sought to turn a former Methodist church in Cheriton Fitzpaine into a community shop, cafe and social space.

It comes as the latest in a bid to save the village’s community shop, which opened in a cabin next to the church in 2018, two years after the previous post office and shop shut its doors.

Temporary planning permission for the cabin runs out in November, and the shop's lease in December 2027.

To secure its future, villagers came up with a plan to raise money to buy the old church, move the shop inside and open a cafe and multi-purpose hub.

A community share offer launched last year raised as much as £106,100 from 224 supporters.

That sum, together with a grant of £50,000 from Cooperatives UK, meant the church could be bought and some of the refurbishments carried out. A purchase price was agreed in January.

An estimated £275,000 is needed for the whole project. More grant funding can be sought later.

The former Methodist church closed in 2024 due to a dwindling and aging congregation.

The building is in a “poor state of repair” and has “major problems with practically everything” except the roof, a public meeting heard.

“Not only will the purchase of the chapel retain a vital resource in the village, but it will also enable the creation of a larger shop together with a cafe, art/ craft space and heritage centre,” Cheriton Fitzpaine Community Shop Chair Mike Porter said previously.

The plans also seek to turn the cabin into a meeting space, and to install toilets and air conditioning in the church.

Planning permission was granted last year to allow Cheriton Fitzpaine’s former post office and shop to become part of the house it shares a building with.

The community shop in the cabin is currently open six days a week and stocks everyday essentials, newspapers, stamps, cards, fresh vegetables, frozen food and other items. A mobile post office visits the village’s parish hall twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Mid Devon District Council will decide whether to grant or refuse planning permission at a later date. Cheriton Fitzpaine Parish Council is listed as the applicant.

Members of the public have until Wednesday, April 15 to comment on the proposals.

Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the Public Notice Portal.

You can see the application on Mid Devon District Council’s website under reference 26/00128/FULL.