AN HISTORIC York chapel which fell into dereliction has undergone a £400,000 refurbishment.

When The Helmsley Group started to re-develop the former Clifton Hospital, the future of the chapel on the site was undecided.

Local residents wanted the building to stay, and now it has been restored and redeveloped for Norwich Union Life Services.

The insurance company will use the building for office, meeting and video conferencing facilities for the company's 800 employees at Clifton Park.

The chapel was officially opened yesterday by the Lord Mayor of York, Councillor Irene Waudby, who said: "I am delighted that the chapel has been restored so beautifully and that the concerns of local residents for this historic building have been met fully by the developers."

Pocklington-based project co-ordinators The Helmsley Group and developers The Chapel Venture have undertaken the re-development work.

The restoration is part of a £7 million development of 120,000sq ft of office space at Clifton Park, of which Norwich Union will occupy 70,000sq ft, enabling the company to increase production capabilities, expand and create new jobs in York.

John Reeves, managing director of The Helmsley Group said: "The chapel has

been sympathetically restored and now provides a stunning work environment for Norwich Union staff."

Updated: 10:44 Thursday, December 13, 2001