Woodhouse Methodist Chapel: Apartment plans for listed former Sheffield chapel 'would cause irreversible harm'

The former Methodist Chapel of Trinity Methodist Church, on the corner of Chapel Street and Tannery Street in Woodhouse, Sheffield, would be converted into eight apartments, under plans submitted to Sheffield Council by a Mr Barry Moss. The planning application states that the external appearance of the building, which dates back to 1878 but is no longer in use and has already been sold by the church, would be ‘largely unaltered’.

It claims the ‘character will be substantially retained and respected in providing modern improved facilities within an existing building in a modern context’.

But Historic England, the Victorian Society and Historic Buildings and Places have all objected to the plans as they stand. Historic England says that removing important interior fixtures and fittings to divide the space into apartments would ‘cause a high degree of harm’ to the building’s ‘rich interior’.

“While we do not object to the principle of residential conversion, we cannot support the proposal in its current form,” it states.

The Victorian Society argues that the proposed conversion would ‘cause substantial and irreversible harm to this nationally important building’. It says the chapel’s interior, including the ‘handsome’ box pews’ and ‘impressive’ pulpit, form the principal basis for its listing.

“Any approach that involves the almost entire loss of the interior, thereby stripping the building of much of its significance – and in the process threatening its continued status as a listed structure – is not acceptable,” it states.

Historic Buildings and Places claims that creating eight flats inside the ‘impressive’ chapel would involve so many subdivision that the interior would be ‘unrecognisable’ as a designed space, with such a degree of intervention being ‘effectively irreversible’.

“As this is the case, we trust that your council will satisfy itself that a less intrusive use cannot be found,” it states, adding that such uses could involve open-plan offices, an indoor market or a community centre. The organisation does recognise that, given the brief, the proposal has been ‘executed with care’.

The chapel has been allowed to fall into substantial disrepair, with the Victorian Society stating that it has suffered from water damage, vandalism, theft, and animal infestation. As a result, some people are keen for the building to be developed before it declines any further, and of the 12 public comments, six are in support of the planning application, with four against and two neutral.

One nearby resident described how they had watched as the ‘very fine building’ was allowed to gradually deteriorate due to a combination of vandalism and neglect.

“The building stands in the heart of the village and its dilapidated condition gives a misleading impression that the village is not cared for,” they commented.

“I like many other residents am delighted that someone wishes to restore the building and convert it into apartments.” They added that ‘time is of the essence’.

Clive Betts, MP for Sheffield South East, has called for the application to go before full council, such is the significance of the building. He told The Star: "It’s an important building in the middle of Woodhouse and I would like to see more of the interior preserved. I think sometimes developers take the cheapest option because they can make more money like that. I think the council’s right to say you can do better and we want to work with you to get a better scheme.”

The developer says the building is ‘not commercially viable’ in its current form, with the pews and gallery limiting alternative uses. Although the gallery opening would be closed over to create the flats, the application states that where possible features will be retained and utilised, including the gallery staircases, vestibules, and screens, and most changes will be ‘reversible’.

Some trees and shrubs would be removed from the memorial garden to make space for parking. The developer says it has been advised that the marker stones are ‘only decorative and have no official status as graves’.