GRAVES in a Basingstoke churchyard are set to be built over after an extension was given planning permission.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council has granted permission for a new building to house a meeting room that will be sited on the north side of the 160-year-old St Thomas of Canterbury Church in Church Lane, Worting.

The church members say they require it because their current meeting hall is on the other side of the busy Worting Road and is not big enough.

The 97-square-metre structure will extend six metres over graves dating from the 1850s to the late 1940s.

But St Thomas' rector, The Reverend Jeremy Vaughan, has vowed those affected will rest in peace as the building's foundations will be suspended on piles driven into the ground between the graves.

And he is appealing to the families of about 40 buried in the Glebe Lane graveyard to contact him about the plans.

Mr Vaughan said: "The bottom line is that we are not going to be digging people up and we are going to find a way of building that does not disturb the graves.

"With careful design and building techniques, it should be possible to build over these without disturbing the graves themselves."

The £250,000 extension will also require permission from the church authorities in Winchester. If approved, work may start at the beginning of next year.

The rector said architects were looking at precisely locating the graves - some of which are unmarked - using archaeological techniques before sinking the piles and laying the floor on top.

Headstones will be kept and placed around the new building's wall, and graves without markers will be recorded with memorial plaques positioned on a neighbouring path.

The rector added: "It's important to trace as many next of kin as we can so we can keep people informed of progress. Of course, these days people move away from their ancestral roots and we are in touch with people as far away as New Zealand. Others may be much closer to Worting but have moved away from their original homes."

In particular, the church would like to hear from relations, friends or anyone with information on the following: * Elizabeth Mills, buried in 1933, and possibly related to a past post-master of Worting.

* Arthur Woolford, buried 1933, and Sarah Woolford, in 1935, whose family may have emigrated to Australia.

* JG Ilsley, buried 1939, and Mary Ilsley, 1941 - whose family may have lived in Worting Road.

* Florence Jones, buried 1938, Albert Nuncio Jones, 1943, and Maria Kennedy, 1948 - all on the same memorial.

* Harry Sims, buried 1935 - thought to be a local builder.

* Thomas Knight, buried in 1938.

Any family members affected by the extension are being asked to contact Mr Vaughan on 01256 331531 or by e-mailing rector@winkleburyandworting.org.uk