Gateacre Chapel Hall in Sandfield Road was built in 1897 to house the Sunday School of the Unitarian Chapel, and served as a venue for community events (including our own meetings) for many years. In 2009 the Chapel trustees decided to sell the building, and it was auctioned off last September. Now the new owners - Silvano & Doran Developments - have submitted a planning application (ref.10F/0581) to turn it into two dwellings, accessed from Dale Mews.

If planning permission is granted, the interior of the building will be transformed, the roof space being utilised and dormer windows being inserted to provide 4 bedrooms for each of the dwellings. The applicant's declared aim, however, is to preserve the external character of the building and its Victorian architectural details. Parking spaces for four cars will be created, behind gates, off Dale Mews, the gate piers being relocated from the existing pedestrian access in Sandfield Road where the sandstone wall will be extended to fill the gap.

Any comments on the planning application should be sent to Ms Sheridan Scott, Development Control Division, Liverpool City Council, Municipal Buildings, Dale Street, Liverpool L2 2DH. (The official deadline for comments is 16th April; phone 0151 233 3021 for further information).