CONTROVERSIAL plans to convert an historic York chapel into a supermarket have been narrowly approved by councillors, despite furious protests from local residents.

Householders from Union Terrace shouted 'absolute disgrace' after a City of York Council area planning committee gave permission for the Sainsbury's Local convenience store in the Groves chapel.

York Press: Groves Chapel

Sainsbury's plan to open in Groves Chapel in York

The decision was made on the casting vote of committee chairman John Galvin after a series of residents had made impassioned speeches against the scheme, which also involves 14 new flats to the rear and two on the first floor.

Locals spoke of their concerns about the dangers of extra traffic in their narrow road, in particular large delivery lorries being reversed. Rosy Dickinson said she had a 'real fear' for the safety of her children. Others raised fears about noise and disturbance from deliveries late in the evening, and claimed the area did not need another supermarket and the store would have an impact on independent traders in The Groves.

An online petition signed by more than 500 people against the decision had stated: "This beautiful and historic building has so much potential and should be reserved for the benefit of the city and its residents. We do not need another Sainsbury's.. this building is part of [York's] heritage."

Michael Askew, of the Hope Centre, a Christian group currently based in Scarcroft, told the planning meeting that it had the cash available to make a 'substantial' but not 'commercial' offer to buy the building, which the York Hospital NHS Foundation Trust owns but no longer needs. He said Hope wanted to restore the grade 11 listed building as a church and community facility.

Several councillors, including Denise Craghill, said the impact of traffic on residential amenity was unacceptable, but planning officials warned that a refusal decision against officers' advice would be difficult to defend on highways grounds if it went to appeal. A report to the committee had concluded that the scheme by York-based developer S Harrison represented a "long term viable use for the building."

However, the committee did agree, against officers' advice, to restrict the supermarket's delivery hours to 7am until 6pm, so as to reduce the impact on local residents during evenings. Sainsbury's had wanted 7am until 11pm.