Islanders get to have a look at Little Chapel revised plans
ST ANDREW’S douzaine room was busy with islanders on Saturday morning, as they came to look at the revised plans for the Little Chapel.
The Little Chapel Foundation is hoping that the latest proposals will alleviate concerns that they are over-commercialising the site.
They include creating a small roofed area to use as an interpretation area and creating a new, wheelchair-chair friendly path, which will get visitors off the road to the clockmakers when walking down to the chapel.
Among the people interested was Rob Couch, who lives behind St Andrew’s Church.
‘I have been following the story of the plans closely and I am keen to keep abreast of what is going on,’ he said.
‘I was very interested to see the revised plans.’
Jacqui Penney lives in St Martin’s, but like many islanders, she was keen to find out what the changes involved.
‘I think the plans are great,’ she said.
‘I came along because I wanted more information about what they are doing.’
A number of St Andrew’s douzeniers came along to look at the plans as well.
Among them was Ray Watts, who lives just up the road from the chapel.
Speaking as a parishioner, rather than a douzenier, he said: ‘All the changes seem beneficial for the visitors.
‘The main problem is still traffic.’
The douzaine as a group have remained neutral on the plans. But they are concerned about the traffic.
Constable Martin Twaite said that up to 12 coaches were parked along the road outside the chapel site during the summer and that was causing problems.
The foundation’s plans will tidy up the parking on the site, so there will be some disabled spaces, as well as marked fishbone parking.
But the site is relatively small, meaning there is no room for coaches on the site.
‘There can be anything from three up to 12 coaches,’ Mr Thwaite said.
‘Even though it is 25mph along there, because of the school, coming down that hill cars do slightly more than 25mph sometimes.’
He said that they were concerned about safety, but accepted there was little the foundation could do to improve the coach situation.
It is expected that the plans will go to an open planning meeting in April, but no dates or details have been released yet.
n The plans are available to view and be commented on at Sir Charles Frossard House until 16 March.
