Eight homes take shape at former Ebenezer Chapel in Prudhoe

The former Ebenezer Chapel in West Wylam, Prudhoe, was demolished after plans to replace the building with eight one-bedroom apartments were approved by Northumberland County Council (NCC) despite opposition from the local community.

The Methodist chapel dated back to 1874 and was one of the last surviving parts of the former West Wylam mining village, but had been closed for around a decade before its demolition.

Work to demolish the building began in November 2025, with housing association Karbon Homes previously saying the chapel had suffered from structural problems after sitting empty for several years.

At the time, Karbon Homes said converting the chapel had become financially unviable due to its condition and rising construction costs.

The housing association said: "However, with such high demand for affordable homes in the area, rather than leaving the site empty, we were granted permission to demolish the building and rebuild on the site."

The eight new homes are intended to be made available for affordable rent to people aged over 55.

New planning documents have now provided an update on the development, as details relating to several conditions have been submitted to NCC.

The application covers contaminated land, ecological measures and external lighting.

It includes photographs showing bird and bat boxes which have been installed at the development, as well as plans for external lighting.

Contractor N.B. Clark Limited has also confirmed that no contaminated materials were discovered during construction.

Its statement describes the project as including eight apartments, a bin store, cycle store, car parking, gardens and associated landscaping.

Karbon Homes previously said the design of the new apartments would commemorate the chapel, using similar brick, slate-effect roof tiles, reused stonework on the entrance porches and red-brick detailing.

The latest application, reference 26/03922/DISCON, is now being considered by NCC.