Plans have been submitted to demolish a vicarage next to a village church to make way for new homes including one for the vicar.

The existing property adjacent to the Church of St Edmunds in Emneth was bought by the Diocese of Ely in the 1980s to serve as a vicarage.

But in plans submitted to King’s Lynn & West Norfolk borough council the diocese says it now needs “considerable investment” and will instead be demolished and replaced with a new vicarage and two homes.

In their submission, they state: “The Diocese has decided that it would be more cost effective to build a new purpose designed vicarage to replace the existing house, reduce the plot to a more manageable size and sell the remaining land for two additional building plots. The capital receipt from the plots would help finance the new vicarage.

“This would retain the vicarage adjacent to the church whilst providing a new energy efficient, well-built and better designed dwelling suitable for modern needs to serve the community.”