What is the Public Notice Portal?
The Public Notice Portal carries statutory public notices published in local newspapers and is the fastest and most effective way of finding out what is happening in YOUR neighbourhood.
Search the Public Notice Portal
A former Methodist chapel in North Yorkshire could be turned into a café bar under a new planning application.
The vacant Chapel Street building in Skinningrove could soon become a café bar under plans submitted to Redcar council.
The Skinningrove Methodist Chapel closed permanently in August 2024, due to a decline in memberships and rising maintenance costs.
Skinningrove Methodist Chapel (Image: Google)
Meetings in January 2025 suggested the chapel could become housing, but the plans did not go forward and it has remained empty ever since.
If approved, the café bar would open from 9am to 9pm every day, including weekends and bank holidays, creating four full-time jobs.
The 120-square-metre interior would be revamped, with render removed and the brickwork cleaned where practical.
The timber windows and doors would be refurbished and redecorated, while a timber signboard would be installed outside.
Former churches and chapels are already being turned into hospitality venues across the region, including Saltburn’s old Methodist church, which became Milton Street Market in July.
(Image: Milton Street Market)
The plans for Skinningrove state there will be no altered vehicle or pedestrian access required, and no new on-site parking, minimising disruption to neighbours.
Read more
Plan to transform 'eyesore' land into 26-space car park to 'relieve pressure' on town
Beloved Hartlepool café reopens as customers flock to new shopping centre location
New café and wine bar opens in North East with hidden underground speakeasy
The plans also include storage and collection arrangements for waste and recyclable materials.
The site is in a flood-risk area, but the applicant says the proposal would not increase the risk elsewhere and that surface water would drain into the main sewer.
The application was submitted on September 29 and is still awaiting a decision from the council.
However, the chapel could finally gain a new lease of life if the council grants the application.