Plans to convert chapel into home approved

A church in a North Yorkshire village will be converted into a residential property as it is no longer viable.

Evidence submitted by the Methodist Circuit to North Yorkshire Council said the chapel in Snainton, near Scarborough, has a congregation of only eight members and an average worship attendance of only four to five people.

Planners concluded that the conversion would not result in an unacceptable reduction in the provision of community or worship facilities available to local residents.

Built in 1895, the church will be turned into a three-bed house with an internal mezzanine with two of the bedrooms and a bathroom.

The Methodist Circuit said the late-Victorian chapel was "no longer viable" and expenditure "significantly" exceeded its income and had commenced the formal process to cease worship at the premises.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, one objection was submitted by a neighbouring resident who raised concerns about "proposed rooflights and potential changes to windows overlooking neighbouring properties and gardens".

They added that "demolition of part of the extension and alterations to boundary treatments will expose views into [my] garden and reduce privacy".

The existing entrance door will be blocked off, but the external façade will remain, and the existing side door will be used as the main entrance.

"The building is of simple non-conformist design, characterised by its symmetrical elevations, large round-headed windows, and modest architectural detailing typical of rural Wesleyan chapels in North Yorkshire," a report noted.

Two parking spaces will also be created on the north side of the site.

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