A CITY centre church has an “overwhelming demand” for its children’s Sunday school, wanting to expand into new premises.

St Ebbe’s Church has a number of buildings, including a Grade II* listed church, the parish centre and the rectory in St Ebbe’s Street and Roger Bacon Lane.

The church has applied to Oxford City Council for permission to convert an old flat into more facilities for its younger members.

Vicar Pete Wilkinson said: “We are absolutely encouraged by our increasing membership.

“Our Sunday school is overflowing its accommodation at the moment.

“We’re eager to expand our space and get it appropriate for the kids that we have.”

The flat, built in 1972, is linked to the church buildings and was originally supposed to provide accommodation for staff .

In a report to the council, agent Peter Njuguna said: “The existing flat already lends its living room to various student groups, its study is used as an office for a staff member, and is no longer appropriate as a self contained residential unit.

“It is now considered a vital space in the church’s schedule.

“This outweighs the need for the existing, ill-placed on-site residential accommodation that has severe limitations due to its integration within the church complex.

“By converting this space, it can be viably incorporated into the churches wider work, particularly children’s clubs.”

He said the church struggles to fit all of the different groups that use the church into the space.

The Sunday school currently needs five different rooms for various age groups, with between eight and 35 children in each group.

There are more than 350 people at each Sunday service, as well as services for more than 380 students.

Mr Njuguna said there was an “overwhelming demand” for more space, adding: “St Ebbe’s Church is currently using most of its facilities to capacity.

“The growth of the number of midweek activities has also put pressure on available space, such that the existing accommodation makes it very difficult for two meetings to run concurrently, which would be greatly aided by use of the former flat as classroom space.

“While the flat provides useful accommodation within the compound, it has become increasingly apparent that the priority for space use is for additional meeting rooms.

“The growth in size of each of the children’s groups leads to a need for larger rooms, which the church doesn’t currently possess in sufficient number.

“The church has searched the local area for alternative space that can be rented on an hourly basis, but has found nothing suitable.”