CHAPEL REDEVELOPMENT GETS GO AHEAD

Monday 9th September 2024

The long-awaited redevelopment of the Methodist Chapel and Schoolroom, which could eventually give the village a regular café and even a shop, has been given the go-ahead to start before Christmas.

The Church Council met on Sunday and agreed that work on the first phase of the project can begin, possibly as soon as next month. This phase will involve giving the schoolroom a new raised floor at the same level as the rest of the building plus new insulation. This work will make access to the whole building easier by getting rid of the awkward steps up to the vestry from the schoolroom.

The work will also make the schoolroom more energy-efficient. The cost of this phase, around £150,000, has already been met through fundraising and grants, mainly from Methodist Church sources.

Two subsequent phases of the project will involve the following:-

• creating a new, bigger kitchen in the current vestry.
• building a new meeting space to the right of the main chapel to be used as a café and shop.
• Covering over most of the approach to the schoolroom door.
• Creating doors on both sides of the main chapel space to give a more open feel.
• New insulation and glazing throughout the building plus installing solar panels.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the later stages of the project is the prospect of a café and even a shop coming back to the village. In line with the ambition to make the Chapel a real community asset, the Methodist Church hopes to develop its weekly Tuesday coffee morning into a more frequent offer, still run by volunteers, but open several days a week.

The Church is also in discussions with Burton Leonard Shop about the idea of the new space also serving as a shop. It would be run in conjunction with the Burton Leonard shop - probably as a pick-up point for pre-ordered food and other basics. This would not be a shop in the traditional sense but could be a valuable addition to the village’s amenities. Bishop Monkton lost its last village shop almost a decade ago.

Senior Church Steward, Tim Abel, said that he was delighted that a start could finally be made on the redevelopment of the chapel for which planning started back in 2019. Tim said:- “This is the beginning of an exciting new phase in the history of the Chapel as we develop the idea of creating a real community hub for the whole village. Of course, the Chapel will remain a place of worship but it’s a central part of the mission and outreach of the church to serve our community and these improvements to the building will assist us to do that.”

Planning permission for the full project was granted back in 2022. Funds for phases two and three, estimated in total at a further £450,000, have yet to be raised but several grant-giving bodies have already been approached.

Tim Abel said:- “We still need to raise a lot of money to complete the whole project but we are confident that, once the first phase is underway, we will be able to get funders on board for the rest.”