Headstones in the graveyard of St Lawrence's Church must be incorporated into the redevelopment plans, Hounslow Council planning chiefs have said.

A special licence must be also be obtained from the government for exhumation and reburial.

Permission was granted by the planning committee, on February 11, for St Lawrence's Church, on Brentford High Street, to be allowed to be used for a various retail and business purposes, such as for a restaurant, pub or even nursery.

And the site, which has not been used since the 1960s, has got the green light to knock down the vicarage to build a three-floor gym with a spa treatment room, hot and cold plunge pools and an outdoor swimming pool.

The seven-storey building also planned for 'Plot A' of the Brentford Waterside project, will create 18 two-bedroom homes.

Luke Emerton, a planning consultant speaking on behalf of Ballymore Group, told last week's planning committee: "I'm really pleased to see this part of the ongoing commitment to the regeneration of the town centre, especially given the pretty awful year we've all had.

"The development will bring about significant benefits to Brentford and to Hounslow more widely."

He added that bringing back St Lawrence's Church into use and removing it from Historic England's buildings at-risk register "can only be seen positively".

The change of use extension to retail and business opportunities is hoped to make it as open as possible to attracting a tenant.

"The building has not been used since the mid '60s so here we are tonight 60 years later to see its next stage of life," he said.

Headstones in the current graveyard must also be incorporated in the plans for cloister gardens as part of the condition for the development, officers explained.

A special licence must be obtained from the government for exhumation and reburial to be done in a particular way, and for notice to be given to relatives.

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