140-year-old Tarleton church to get new lease of life - this is what's been approved
The building has been empty since 2023.
A rural chapel at the centre of community life for more than 140 years will soon be getting a new lease of life.
Holmes Methodist Chapel in Park Lane, Tarleton, closed when Lancashire West Methodist Circuit merged Holmes, Holmeswood, Mere Brow, and Tarleton Methodist Churches in September 2023. Last year it was offered for sale for £290,000.
Now it can be revealed that the red-brick Victorian building will be transformed into a family house.
No objections to the plans were raised and West Lancashire Borough Council has this week approved plans to fully refurbish the building.
A planning statement by the applicant’s agent said the conversion “seeks to retain the character of the church, but includes minor works including general maintenance of the external envelope including its roofs and rainwater drainage systems including gutters and downpipes”. Masonry fabric repairs to facing bricks and mortar joints are also proposed, which will be analysed by a specialist in historic masonry repair, and windows formerly bricked up are to be reinstated.
The proposal do not include any extension to the building, therefore WLBC said the proposed change of use of the existing building would be considered appropriate development in the Green Belt.