A DEVELOPER has been refused planning permission to knock down a disused church.

Chameleon Refurbishments wanted to demolish St Andrew’s Church in Wickham Avenue, Bexhill, and build a four-storey building with ten flats and parking spaces.

It is the third unsuccessful attempt by the developer to knock down the Victorian church, which closed in December 2011 with two previous applications withdrawn due to concerns about the loss of a heritage site which was designed by architect J B Wall, who also constructed the Colonnade in Bexhill.