Historic church could become a new home

A PLANNING application in Creggs is seeking to refurbish and renovate the former Presbyterian Church in the village into a domestic dwelling.

Alan Gannon has applied to Galway County Council for the conservation of the building, which is a protected structure, and change its use to a domestic residence. The building is currently derelict with no roof.

The Gothic-style church was built in the early 1860s and is noted in the planning application as a “rare example” of a Presbyterian church outside Ulster, as there was a group of Scots Presbyterians living in the area at the time. It stopped being used as a church in 1925.

The applicant is looking to put a roof on the building and insert a first floor. The total floor area for the works inside the former church is 139sqm, across the ground floor and first floor.

The refurbishment works would include repairing and retaining existing limestone masonry walls, cut-stone surrounds, entrance porch, bell tower, and historic masonry features.

The planning application has provision for historically appropriate windows and doors to be installed, a new insulated ground floor, a new intermediate floor and staircase, partitions on the ground and first floors to cater for residential living space, and external site works to retain stone walls and other aspects.

County Council planners have until August 23 to make a decision on the application.