Tensions surrounding the future of Bethel Chapel and its historic cemetery have deepened following a revised planning application by the building’s new owners, the Islamic Al-Khoei Benevolent Foundation.
Full Planning Review Requested
Local residents and stakeholder groups have urged that the application be given full public scrutiny. While campaigners hope such scrutiny will be granted, they may have to wait until the Planning Officer returns from annual leave next week before knowing more.
If approved, the Planning / Listed Building Consent Application would then be heard and decided by Swansea Council’s Full Planning Committee instead of being determined by a planning officer under delegated powers. Campaigners have welcomed the possibility as “great news,” noting that a public hearing would ensure all voices are heard and that the correct decision can be reached, whether that results in approval or refusal.
The move comes just months after unauthorised works on the Grade II listed chapel, including the chainsaw removal of pews and other internal fixtures, were halted by Swansea Council and Cadw. Those incidents sparked widespread anger in the community, particularly as the adjoining cemetery, containing around 4,000 graves and over 11,000 souls, remained in a state of severe neglect.
The latest concerns stem from a revised Heritage Impact Assessment submitted on 17 July, which campaigners say contains factual errors and vague descriptions of major changes. One local resident pointed out that the document’s conclusion wrongly claimed the church and burial grounds had been unused for eight years. She said this was not only factually incorrect but deeply offensive, noting that both her mother’s and her husband’s ashes were interred there as recently as May 2022. Many families, she added, remain closely attached to their relatives’ graves at Bethel and wish to have their own ashes interred there in the future.
Residents Challenge Fence Plan and New Mosque Use
Chief among the disputed proposals is the construction of a 1.8-metre (nearly 6-foot) solid wooden fence running from the chapel’s main entrance on Carnglas Road, potentially cutting off public visibility and safe access to the oldest section of the cemetery. Relatives fear the barrier would make tending graves, many dating back generations, virtually impossible.
One local resident, whose ancestors are buried on the site, wrote to local councillors expressing alarm at the plans. “This will have a major detrimental effect on a historic Grade II Listed Building, on its curtilage, and on public access to a valued local amenity,” he said, urging elected members to ensure the application was referred to the full Planning Committee for proper debate and a site visit.
Concerns also focus on newly stated intentions for the chapel’s future use. While previous public assurances from the Al-Khoei Foundation emphasised a community and educational centre, the revised documents now reference the building serving as “a place of worship for the Islamic Faith” and explicitly mention the construction of a mosque; a first in the official planning paperwork. Campaigners say this contradicts earlier statements made to win community support and raises questions about traffic, parking, and suitability for the narrow, one-way Carnglas Road.
Additional objections cite what residents describe as increasingly restricted pedestrian access to the cemetery, the failure to acknowledge long-established public rights of way and a lack of transparency in publishing public objections to the plans. Campaigners argue that the fence proposal, as well as any structural changes, fall under the protection of “curtilage listing” meaning they should require Listed Building Consent due to their contribution to the site’s historic significance.
There is still time for members of the public to submit their own comments on the application. Campaigners stress that people should not be deterred by Swansea Council’s website, which currently states that “there have been no comments lodged”, a somewhat misleading statement. It is thought that around 30 to 40 objections have already been submitted, so anyone wishing to have their say will be far from alone.
Click Here to submit a comment and view the application.
For more information regarding the Bethel Chapel story; please see our previous article here.
