Approval sought for village hub proposal

A CHURCH chapel in a Cambridgeshire village could be changed into a community hub as congregation numbers decline.

- By KATIE GREEN

Planning permission is being sought by Fowlmere Parish Council to change the chapel at the Fowlmere and Thriplow United Reform Church (URC) into the hub.

The chapel was built in 1780 to provide a "permanent place of worship for the growing community of non-conformists" that came to Fowlmere during the 17th and 18th centuries. For the majority of its 245-year history, the chapel has been used for worship.

Yet in the last 50 years it has been used more as a community facility, such as for a village playgroup that meets daily. So Fowlmere Parish Council is now seeking for a permanent change into a community hub.