AN ‘ICONIC’ former school chapel in Wantage is to become a dental surgery despite a public outcry.

Listed building permission was given by Vale of White Horse District Council to convert St Mary’s Chapel in Newbury Street.

It was part of St Mary’s School, but was put up for sale by developer Berkeley Homes who bought the entire school site for housing.

Dental firm Rodericks is now expected to buy it from Berkeley and open the practice in February. It will take NHS patients.

Wantage businessman Andrew Burford put forward an alternative plan to turn the chapel into a performing arts centre for the community.

He said: “I welcome Rodericks to the town because I think an NHS dentist is great, but I share a lot of people’s disappointment that we could have had something great for the town.”

Victoria Humphries, the secretary of St Mary’s Old Girls Association, added: “It is a shame, when a community like Wantage needs something like that.

“A building like that should not become a dentist, or an office, or anything like that.

“It is a very sad day.”

Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture and MP for Wantage, said: “I welcome an NHS dentist for the town, though I am sad at the missed opportunity to use an iconic building like the chapel for community groups.”

Rodericks director Carlos Clark said the firm would invest more than £500,000 in the building.

He said: “It is fantastic for Wantage as it will have a beautiful practice in a lovely setting and provide an NHS dentistry, which is what Wantage needs.

“The chapel has been sitting empty and no one has been visiting it. If it is left to ruin with no one to look after it, it will fall down.”