£2.5m church extension bid is approved

ONE of the city's most high-profile churches, the Church of St John the Evangelist, will undergo a multi-million-pound extension and refurbishment.

The council has approved plans for a new glass and stone extension to the original hall, which will dramatically alter its appearance from the Princes Street Gardens end.

Historic Scotland said it was broadly supportive of the scheme, stating: "We believe the proposed new extension is a high quality addition to the ongoing history of the church."

The Church of St John the Evangelist is one of the West End's most visible landmarks, sitting at the corner of Princes Street and Lothian Road, and dates back to the 1840s.

It has remained largely unchanged since the construction of its church hall in 1916, but plans have now been lodged for the 2.5 million revamp.

The plans received just one material objection, from conservation group the Cockburn Association, which rejected the extension as "alien" and "a brutal metal box".