A YORK church is making a second attempt to turn a disused pub into a new base after its original plans were thrown out.

Proposals by The Living Word Church to convert The Fossway in Huntington Road, into a place of worship and a community focal point failed last year over parking worries.

Now its members have submitted a new scheme to City of York Council and claim they have the backing of local residents as they aim to breathe new life into the pub.

It closed in 2009 after its owners, Punch Taverns, said a drop in trade and problems with drugs, violence and licensing issues meant it was no longer viable.

The church, which currently meets at Haxby Road Primary School, has now dropped plans to include a private nursery and space for conferences to be held in the building after the previous application was rejected.

If approved, the function room would become the main hall for the church, which has 40 members, and the bar area converted to meeting rooms, while its offices would form the vestry. The plans also include ten new parking spaces and a two-bedroom flat.

Living Word pastor David Lavery said he hoped it would also be a hub for community events.

“The church needs a base to meet and we want to have a positive impact in the local community who, from our consultations, seem to want us there,” he said.

“It would be a place where people can get together for things like mother-and-toddler groups and regenerate a derelict eyesore which is currently a target for fly-tippers and vandals.

“Nobody else appears to want to redevelop the building and it will fall apart if it is not used, so we feel we are the best and only option.

“A pub is a place for people, and this would be a great asset for the community.”

The original scheme was turned down after councillors raised concerns about parking arrangements and whether a nursery, which was earmarked to create nine jobs, could provide financial support for the development, but the proposals were supported by the Muncaster and Dodsworth residents’ associations.

A decision on the revised application is expected to be made next month.