Controversial plans to turn a barn in Bubbenhall into a church were withdrawn before councillors were able to vote on them.

Warwick District Council's (WDC) planning committee was due to discuss the application to turn the former agricultural building on Pit Hill into a religious building this week.

But following over 100 objections from locals and a recommendation from district planners that the scheme be refused, Bubbenhall Gospel Hall Trust pulled the application.

The application would have seen the partial demolition of the farm buildings, with a new entrance and canopy built.

Internally the building would have been divided to create a new foyer, toilets and meeting hall for up to 150 people.

"The Bubbenhall Gospel Hall Trust has a specific local need for a community facility in the form of a small meeting room in Bubbenhall," the application said. 

"The trust uses a large sized meeting room in Baginton which is used throughout the week for larger meetings. 

"Affiliated trusts also own local meeting rooms such as that at Burton Green for weekly provision of smaller occasions where approximately 50 people will meet. 

"The local meeting room will be used for prayer, bible readings and assembly."

But planning officers at WDC shared the view of locals and the parish council in saying the scheme should be thrown out.

"The application has not provided any robust justification for why the proposed location is preferable over other, more sustainable ones within the district," a council report had said. 

"And while it is understandable that members of Plymouth Brethren within Bubbenhall would prefer a meeting room in close proximity to their home, the wider benefits of this would be extremely limited and do not outweigh the fundamental concerns regarding the unsustainable location of the site or the lack of wider need for the facility within the community."

It added: "It is acknowledged that the proposal would meet the needs of a small section of the local community, and this would provide sustainability benefits. 

"However, these benefits are very limited in their extent and do not outweigh the wider concern with providing a new community facility in what would be an unsustainable location. 

"For this reason, the application merits refusal."

The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church was formed in the 19th century by Evangelical Protestants disillusioned by the Anglican Church.

See the full application here.