Chapel plan for recovering addicts' centre
Stephen Haigh Buildings ArchaeologistPlans have been submitted to use a former village chapel as a respite centre for recovering drug and alcohol addicts.
If approved, the centre would operate from the Grade II-listed St Robert and St Alice Chapel at Dodding Green, near Kendal in Cumbria, and would be able to care for seven people at a time.
The building had previously been used by the religious community for young men with past drug abuse problems but was permanently closed in 2021.
The application said the respite centre would help its users relearn life skills and allow them to "move on to independent living as they progress through recovery".
Under the plans, the site would be run by The Well Communities CIC and would also include accommodation for staff, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
It would also include have for workshops and meetings.
The application said the respite centre's residents would be "clean" of substance dependency and "no treatment nor rehabilitation" would take place on site.
Skelsmergh and Scalthwaiterigg Parish Council did not object to the proposal "in principle" but asked for "better communication" between The Well and local residents.
This included greater transparency about what activities would take place at the site.
Two people have objected to the proposal, with one claiming it was an application to "create a homeless hostel".
But another letter in support of the scheme said it would bring the property "back to life" and would keep its "historic integrity" intact.
The proposals will be considered by Westmorland and Furness Council on 21 May.
