Permission has been granted for a north Norwich church group to rebuild on a site where its church was struck by lightning and destroyed.

The Norwich Family Life Church was left homeless after a fire ripped through the Mount Zion Family Life Centre, in Heartsease Lane, in February 2006.

The church group are now planning to build a large new church building which will also incorporate preschool, sports and community facilities.

It currently has temporary buildings at its site opposite Open Academy and Heartsease Primary Academy, which backs onto the Mousehold Heath pitch and putt golf course, where it currently runs a preschool.

The previous church was 2,700sqm and towards the front of the site, while the new plans are for a 5,200sqm building towards the centre of the site.

Norwich City Council's planning committee this morning approved the plans, along with a section 106 planning agreement for the current temporary buildings on the site to be removed in 15 months time.

This is because these buildings are unauthorised, after plans were refused in September 2009 for the portable classrooms and offices to be used on the land for a further five years.

The S106 agreements also include the implementation of a cycle and pedestrian link with Valley Way, to prevent people from having to use and cross Heartsease Lane.

Officers had recommended the approval to the councillors as 'acceptable in principle'.

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