New life for historic chapel stuck in decades-long planning dispute revealed

The future of a historic chapel in Oldham has finally been revealed, after a decade-long planning dispute left the building in a dilapidated state. 

Delph Chapel in Saddleworth was purchased by Pinnacle Holdings shortly before it was due to go to auction in February for £425k. Now, the developers have announced the run-down building on the corner of Hill End Road and Delph Lane will be restored to its former glory and converted into apartments. 

Pinnacle have claimed they intend to retain as much of the 150-year-old building as possible. The cemetery, which will remain open to the public, will be ‘regenerated’ for the community to improve access to the graves of loved ones, the LDRS has been told. 

Oliver Piotrowski, from Pinnacle Holdings, said: “Our aim is to honour [the building’s] heritage by preserving as much of the original features of the chapel as we possibly can and by giving the graveyard the respect and care it deserves.

“The exact plans for the site are still to be determined, subject to the extensive exploratory works currently being conducted. The eventual scheme will be designed to beautifully restore the chapel building and surrounding graveyard for future generations to enjoy. We see this project as an opportunity to restore the chapel, creating a vibrant asset that will benefit the town.”  

The chapel has long been a sore point in the local community, with previous attempts to convert it falling through. The previous owners first submitted plans for the building in 2006 but faced strong local opposition and eventually gave up the property as the cost of the project spiralled.  

A dispute in 2011 also propelled the chapel into the public eye after local residents were locked out of the graveyard, which is on private land connected to the building. 

The developers intend to work together with heritage consultants and the war grave commission to ensure the plans are ‘respectful’ of the ‘150 years of history’ contained within the land. 

But the project is in its earliest stages, with planning applications and plans yet to be submitted to the council and the number of apartments undetermined. Once the plans are uploaded, residents of Delph will be permitted to comment on the plans.