Member Article

Disused Saddleworth chapel with planning consent goes up for auction

The former Delph Independent Chapel, close to the centre of Delph village in Saddleworth, is to go under the hammer later this month in Pugh’s next property auction. The chapel, which was a place of worship until the late 1980s, will appear in an online property auction on 21 March, with a guide price of £425,000.

The disused stone-built church became a private property in the 1990s and is being auctioned with planning consent to convert it into either nine small apartments or seven two and three-bedroom apartments. The 1.3 acre site also has consent for a pair of four-bedroom semi-detached houses to be built on land at the side of the chapel.

Planning permission for the conversion of the chapel into nine apartments was initially approved by Oldham Council in 2009, and amended to seven units in 2017. Approval was granted for the construction of the two houses on the adjoining land the following year, and the planning consent for both developments remains extant.

Pugh director Edward Feather said: “Saddleworth is a stunning area that is highly sought after as a place to live with easy rail commutes to both Manchester and Leeds. The old chapel is in a fantastic location, a short walk from the village centre and primary school and needless to say we have had significant interest in the site as a development opportunity.

“The saga of the chapel’s redevelopment to residential accommodation has dragged on over decades and it would be great to see this historic building finally take on a new lease of life in the hands of an owner who can ensure it becomes an asset to the village once more.”

Bidding on the former Delph Independent Chapel, and the other lots in Pugh’s online property auction, opens on 21 March and closes the following day. To view the full catalogue, go to Pugh’s website.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Emma Kilmurray .