Plans to carry out major repairs on a historic Grade II-listed chapel within Sunderland’s largest cemetery are set to be reviewed by councillors next month. The city’s Planning and Highways Committee is gearing up to deliberate on an application concerning the Bishopwearmouth Cemetery chapel.
The Anglican South Chapel, dating back to 1856, has been in a perilous state of disrepair for some time, with scaffolding previously installed to shore up its tower and spirelet, while the building itself has been cordoned off following inspections.
In a statement released in February 2023, Sunderland City Council announced its plans to undertake “essential external repair and restoration work” on the chapel and expressed its intention to engage a “specialist consultant” to assist in managing the project. Nearly two years after this announcement, the council has now lodged an application with its own planning department, seeking listed building consent to proceed with the necessary repairs.
A design and access statement accompanying the application paints a grim picture of the chapel’s current state, describing it as being in “poor condition” and detailing various structural concerns. Among these are the “spirelet leaning and at risk of collapse”, which has necessitated “temporary scaffold” to mitigate the danger of it crashing into the building.
Additional problems include parts of the structure “breaking apart”, the roof “in the process of slowly collapsing into the nave”, widespread missing slates, “choked gutters”, and both “decaying timber” and water damage.
The proposed restoration efforts include fixing the “spirelet and belfry masonry” and all roofs.
The building is set to be “recovered in new Westmoreland slate replicating the present slate patterning” and will benefit from a “new roof superstructure” that will cover the majority of the structure. The overhaul also includes the replacement of all wallplates, gutters, downpipes, and flashings, as well as extensive repair and rebuilding works, not to mention a “new underground surface water drainage system”.
Internally, plans are to strip back all remaining plaster from the walls, with windows left open to “ventilate and dry out the building”, while ceilings will remain intact to “assist drying out”. According to the design and access statement, these measures will ensure the building is “then safe, watertight and in the process of drying out”, setting it up for “ready for further repairs and development.”
A verdict on the proposals is anticipated on January 6, 2025, when the Planning and Highways Committee convenes at City Hall.
Ahead of this crucial meeting, council planning officers have put forward a recommendation for the plans to be approved. In a report, they describe the chapel as an “impressive example of its type, originally built in 1856 to the designs of notable Sunderland Architect Thomas Moore as part of the wider municipal cemetery complex”.
The planners have praised the proposed repair works in the committee report, highlighting them as a “well-informed approach based on a thorough condition survey and an understanding of the significance of the building” and in line with “consistent with good practice for listed buildings”. It was also noted that the proposals would also.
The aim is to “rescue and consolidate, through well-informed repair and conservation works, a listed building at risk in a manner that will sustain the heritage significance of the building.”
A design and access statement submitted earlier this year revealed that the chapel historically “formed one of a pair that acted as mortuaries for non-conformist and Anglican denominations within the municipal cemetery”. Its northern counterpart, known as the Central Chapel, was demolished following a fire in the late-1990s.
A heritage statement presented to council officials highlighted that the proposed works for the south chapel include “maintenance, repair and reinstatement”, with the roof covering being the “principal affected item”. The heritage statement further mentioned: “The building is part of the estate of Sunderland City Council who recognise its dilapidation and wish to carry out holding repairs whilst the future use of the building is developed.”
The Planning and Highways Committee councillors will make the final decision on the repair proposals during their next meeting on Monday, January 6, 2025.
The meeting, which is open to the public, will commence at 5.30pm at City Hall. For additional details on the planning application or to follow its progress, members of the public can visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search for the reference: 24/02306/LB3.
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