A methodist church which built its new hall in the wrong place is within six weeks of learning whether it will have to be demolished.
Earlier this year, Bowthorpe Road Methodist Church was ordered by Norwich City Council to knock down its £920,000 hall, after building its extension 4.5m closer to homes on Old School Close than it should have been.
The church, which has a regular congregation of 160 people, saw an enforcement notice served against it by the council after neighbours noticed the distance between the hall and its boundary was incorrect.
However, in June church bosses launched a formal appeal against the enforcement notice with the Planning Inspectorate, which could save them from having to knock it down.
And this week the appeal reached a crucial stage, with a planning inspector visiting the site to assess the situation ahead of reaching a decision in the coming weeks.
With the appeal now in its latter stages, evidence from all interested parties has now been gathered in writing and a spokesman for the Planning Inspectorate said a decision could be expected within six weeks.
Speaking in June, Catherine Hutton, superintendent minister for the Norwich Methodist Church, said: "We noticed there is a distinct lack of community buildings in the area and the hall was erected to fill that gap while also providing a place of worship.
"It will be heartbreaking if we have to take it down. It will be a real loss to the community and the church as we have not yet been able to realise its potential."
The church hall was given planning permission in 2016 and was built after members of the congregation dug into their own pockets to help fund it.
However, the city council refused a retrospective planning application to keep the hall where it is earlier this year and has argued the position is "considered dangerous".
And City Hall is hoping a case involving - of all people - US president Donald Trump - could provide a precedent to uphold the enforcement.
If the appeal is unsuccessful the church will be required to either demolish the hall's gable end and replace it with a hipped gable or knock down the whole building.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here