A local councillor has called for the development of the site of a former chapel to be sped up.
Cllr James Pritchard said the Beulah Methodist Chapel site, on Pontygwindy Road, Caerphilly, is an eye-sore and has called for a meeting between planners and developers to come to an agreement on its development.
Cllr Pritchard, of Morgan Jones ward, said: “There’s a desperation about the situation and people are wondering what’s going on. Local residents have been mentioning it for five years and say it looks terrible.”
The Labour councillor said he had not had a response to his request for a meeting and stressed that residents deserved a quick solution. According to Cllr Pritchard, the developers who own the land have repeatedly asked for an extension to be granted before any planning application is made.
He added: “We need action to kick-start a development on this site so that local residents are spared the eye-sore that has been confronting them for the last five years.
“Whatever is decided, whether commercial or residential, or both, needs to be backed by the community.”
Let's hope Cllr. Pritchard can get some progression on this. It is a long time since Beulah was demolished and since then nothing seems to be happening.
Chapels close due to falling numbers of attendees, and religion as a whole is declining across the UK. It should be knocked down and have a house built or turned into a coffee shop or bulldoze and leave the land vacant.
Hi Connie. Perhaps there's a bit of confusion here. I'm not calling for the Chapel to be reinstated. I've requested a meeting with the applicant to discuss whether a development can be encouraged. Many residents have expressed their concerns about the condition of the vacant land over the last five years. The vacant land is a blight on the local environment and I'm looking to see what, if anything, can be done to encourage a developement here. All the best, Cllr James Pritchard, Morgan Jones Ward.