Grade II listed High Peak church wants to convert part of chapel into holiday let to secures its future

The Reverend Keith Sandow of Town End Methodist church in chapel-en-le-Frith has put forward a planning application which if approved would see the back of the church converted into holiday accommodation.

The church is Grade II listed and was opened in 1874 on the site of a previous chapel and is located in Chapel en le Frith Conservation Area.

In a statement submitted with the application Rev Sandow said: “The Church Committee is planning for the future.

“These days, in order to be able to retain a place of worship, and maintain the building, diversification is needed.

“For many years the church has opened its arms to the people of Chapel and provided a space for events and groups to meet.

“There is also a community garden.

“However, moving forward, a steady income from a holiday let would make a huge difference to the finances of the church.

He explained the space to the back of the church is easily separated from the main body of the church.

He said: “There is little impact on the actual church by the conversion.

“This space is mostly part of the original church, but much work has been carried out over time, with its significance reduced.

“Where there are original details, they will be retained.”

The building is a large example of a Methodist Church from the late 19th Century and includes stone detailing and stained glass windows.

The entrance was reworked to give disabled access, toilets and the café and foyer space in 1988.There is also a modern flat roofed extension to the rear which houses a kitchen, and that was built around 1971.

Rev Sandow said: “We are just proposing a few amendments which will make the space usable as a holiday let.”

If given the go ahead the extension will be reconfigured with the toilet removed to become a kitchen-diner.

The flower vestry will become the living room and the existing door opening to the kitchen will be widened to allow more light in and there will be three bedrooms, one of which will be accessible.