A NEW retail development is set to be built at the site of a former church as town hall planners have now given their seal of approval to the proposal.

The "Barkat" building has been granted planning permission at the site where St Peter's Methodist Church once stood in St Helens Road.

The plans have been submitted by a convenience store based in Derby Street looking to relocate to a bigger store with more parking.

The two-storey structure with a lower ground level promises to be an "exciting contemporary and contextual townscape building", according to the planning application.

It said: "The language of the design has been to provide a contextual townscape building which also celebrates its main function as vibrant retail space."

The "fruit and vegetable" shop is expected to relocate to the lower ground level of the building in the next year and a half.

A total of four non-food retail units are planned for the ground floor and mezzanine above it.

The proposed development will also be served by 13 car parking spaces, including two disabled spaces, and a cycle parking area to the rear of the building in Rutland Street.

St Peter's Methodist Church closed in 2001 and the building was demolished in 2009 after it was damaged in a fire.

At the time, fire chiefs suspected that the blaze was started deliberately because two seats of fire were discovered.

Bolton Council’s building control section carried out two inspections and erected emergency fencing.

They advised the owners that what is left of the building should be pulled down.

Plans had previously been unveiled to demolish the church and build a housing estate with five houses and a five-storey building with basement parking, 19 apartments and four retail units.