Katy Perry’s prospective purchase of a former convent in Los Angeles, which intendeds to be converted into a huge mansion, has come one step closer to being realised after a judge ruled that the sale of the property to a businesswoman was void.

On Wednesday, L.A. judge Stephanie Bowick ruled that the nuns who had attempted to sell the convent in the Los Feliz hilltops area of the city to businesswoman Dana Hollister, who had wanted to develop it into a boutique hotel, had done so improperly by not seeking the permission of the archbishop of Los Angeles.

This puts the 8-acre property back on the market, with Perry’s standing bid of $14.5 million reportedly the preferred option for the archbishop, according to the Associated Press.

Katy PerryKaty Perry's prospective purchase of the L.A. convent is close to being realised after the ruling

However, Perry’s bid still needs the approval of the Vatican before it can go ahead. If the 31 year old pop star does end of purchasing the property, the adjoining house of prayer that is currently still being used by priests will have to be relocated.

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Hollister had already reportedly recorded a deed of purchase after she struck a deal directly with the nuns that had lived in the property for decades, and had begun renovations on the semi-disused convent by the time the archdiocese brought a lawsuit and halted progress at the site over a year ago, beginning a lengthy process of litigation.

Perry’s lawyer Eric Rowen said in a statement following the ruling: “We are very pleased with the judge’s description of her ruling this morning, which indicates that we won the real property issues, clearing the way for our client to buy the property.”

The 'Roar' singer is said to have told the nuns before she put in her bid for the property that she intended to use it to care for her mother and grandmother, allaying fears that the sisterhood had harboured about her image as a pop star. However, Hollister’s bid sidestepped this process after she offered the nuns $100,000 in cash as well as $15.5 million after development had finished.

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