TWO former churches in Weymouth are taking on a new lease of life through development for apartment homes.

Maiden Street Methodist Church, near the quayside, was spectacularly destroyed by fire in January 2002.

Last year planners granted Project 20 permission for a scheme to convert the fire-ravaged shell into a restaurant and 15 homes.

Managing director Malcolm Curtis said: "At the moment no building work has started yet because it is such a difficult and interesting building.

"You can't just start without a lot of preliminary work and investigation which is still going on."

He confirmed that Project 20's development would create 14 apartments and a 15th home by rebuilding the Chapel House.

Mr Curtis said: "We are hoping to start work in June or July this year and to finish during 2010."

He said that the remains of the church were very sound and added: "There are thousands of scaffolding poles inside to brace the structure of the church, but it was so strongly built that it is able to support itself, the walls are that thick."

Mr Curtis added that their work so far has uncovered no finds on the site.

He said: "The heat and smoke from the fire were so intense that nothing has survived."

Elsewhere there is also a new look for a building off Chickerell Road which used to be St Martin's Church.

One studio apartment and three two-bedroom apartments are now being marketed for the site by Novahomes which said that the church was originally built in 1907 using funds raised by parishioners.

There had been plans to extend the sides of the church, but two world wars and a shortage of money saw the building retain its simple form until the church ceased to be used and it was converted into a home in the 1980s. Now it is being converted again and estate agents Novahomes principal Simon Speak said: "Much of the original church is being retained and the studio apartment will be glorious because it will use and keep exposed much of the superb wooden beam work which was such a feature of St Martin's."