PLANS to pull down a North Yorkshire church have been turned down by planners.

Members of the Ripon area planning committee of Harrogate Borough Council refused permission for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough to demolish St Columba's Church in Thorpe Road, Masham, near Ripon.

Residents had protested against proposals to replace the church with two detached houses on grounds of highway safety and the potential dominance of the development.

One of the objectors said the church should not be disposed of, adding: "Once lost it will never be reinstated in Masham."

Planning officer Andy Hough said pulling down the church would mean losing a community facility. "The policy seeks to encourage retention of a wide variety of locally based community facilities," said Mr Hough.

The timber-built church, which has a corrugated sheet roof, is currently empty and has not been used for worship since August 2002.

The diocese has told planners existing churches in Bedale and Leyburn have been "satisfactorily serving the community since the closure of St Columba."