The Ipswich spiritualist church that claimed Sherlock Holmes’ creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as one of its regular visitors is set to take on a new lease of life as a pair of luxury semi-detached homes.

The Cedars’ Spiritualist Church in Anglesea Road was sold last year and its members now meet at the Quaker Meeting House in Fonnereau Road.

Now a planning application has been lodged with the borough council for the Victorian building – which was bought by the church in the 1920s – to be converted into two homes.

The application is due to be discussed by the borough’s planning and development committee next Wednesday and officers are recommending the proposal is given the go ahead.

For several years the building has been split into flats with the church meeting in the basement, but the decision to sell it was taken last year.

Sir Arthur was a regular visitor to the church during the 1920s and gave it copies of the first editions of his books on spiritualism.

It attracted hundreds of visitors – including many who came to Ipswich from London for meetings at what was one of a small number of spiritualist churches across the country.

Its flats were occupied by two mediums at this time.

The proposal before the planning committee would see the building extended and converted into two houses – one with six bedrooms and the other with four.

They would each have a walled garden and their own car parking spaces.

There are no objection – the only representation has come from a neighbour who has said it would be a fitting design in the residential area.

Officers say the proposal is in keeping with the rest of the area and are recommending that it should be granted planning permission.