AN application to convert derelict chapels at Hale Cemetery into a community use building has been put forward by Farnham Town Council.

The condition of the chapels is very poor, with large areas of each roof badly damaged and exposed to the elements, and there is no electricity supply.

The town council has proposed to restore the chapels, by forming a link extension that will join the two together to create a single building. The new development will be no higher than the existing buildings.

Farnham Town Council, was assisted by the Hale chapels working group, which met regularly to discuss the best possible outcomes for the chapels.

Carole Cockburn, the council’s lead member for the cemeteries and appeals working group, said: “For several years now, Farnham Town Council has been looking into possible uses for all three cemetery chapels. Green Lane chapel was subsequently sold, with permission to convert into a dwelling, West Street was refurbished and is now a workshop for a local sculptor but Hale Chapels have proved to be the most difficult.

“The chapels are too close to the Special Protection Area to be converted for residential use, so options were limited from the start. The current plans were drawn up as a result of those preliminary discussions with the Farnham Buildings Preservation Trust about all three chapels.

“There has been further consultation with local residents and community groups but nothing has been decided. I do hope that we find a use for these chapels, as we have with the others but this is only the first stage in a long process.”

To view the application visit the website www.waverley.gov.uk/site/ and via their planning portal search for WA/2016/0265.