Eden Chapel conversion gets green light

Saturday 20 November 2021

The conversion of Eden Methodist Chapel into two three-bedroom houses has been given planning permission.

After nearly 200 years as a church, the church and next-door Sunday School located between Five Oaks and Maufant was put up for sale by tender in 2019.

Dating back to 1833, the church was one of the earlier Wesleyan Methodist chapels built in the island and is a Grade 3 Listed building.

One home will be within the old church and the other in the former Sunday School hall.

A report accompanying the application said: “The concept for the chapel is to provide rooms as ‘pods’ within the large internal space where the congregation used to gather and to make use of the first-floor gallery. 

Pictured: The Chapel is just off Grande Route de Saint-Martin.

“This maintains the integrity of the space and the features which make the building unique, such as the windows.”

It adds: “External interventions in the fabric are very limited, mainly relating to rooflights and dormers in the roof of the Hall to facilitate the new first floor.

“The three-bed unit created from the hall would have two tandem car parking spaces, where the garage is presently located. It would also have a 50 sq m south-facing private garden. 

“The Chapel has an extremely tight curtilage, a limited amenity space is available on the western side, and following discussion with the Parish of St. Saviour, the car parking will be on-street.”

The planning officer concluded: “The design of the extensions and alterations proposed are sympathetic with the existing building” and the application was in keeping with all the relevant policies in the current 2011 Island Plan.