The Churches Conservation Trust, which owns St Nicholas' Chapel, can now plan ahead its future use as an historic building and as a venue for community use.

The trust has appointed Anne Mason as the project manager and she will be asking all the heritage groups and societies in the town, together with those involved in tourism, conservation and the arts, for their views on how the Grade I listed chapel, in Chapel Street, should be used in the future.

Public consultation will also be launched next year, so anyone interested in the building can have a say.

Roger Simmons, conservation officer for the Churches Conservation Trust, said: "We care for historic churches which are no longer in regular parish use and our restricted funding normally only allows us to carry out minimal work to keep our buildings wind and watertight and structurally sound.

"Lynn has a rich medieval heritage of which St Nicholas' Chapel is a significant part. With this grant we can draw up detailed plans for conservation management, education, training, access and audience development."

The chapel, built between 1390 and 1420, is regarded as one of the finest examples of perpendicular architecture.

This was a Gothic style used in England during the 14th and 15th centuries.