THE Methodist Church is disposing of two village chapels due to diminishing attendances.

Amersham-based chartered surveyor Nigel Cornish is inviting formal tenders by August 2 for the freehold of the Victorian church on the corner of Green End Road and Radnage Common Road in Radnage.

He has also set a deadline of August 9 for tenders for the freehold chapel in Main Road, Lacey Green.

"There is always very considerable interest when chapels come up for sale," reports the agent. "We get in excess of 100 inquiries each time, usually from developers or private buyers hoping to convert the building for residential use."

Previous attempts to build houses on these two sites have drawn a blank.

In April 2002, an application to build two houses on the Lacey Green site was turned down on the grounds of loss of a community facility.

The applicants then submitted a detailed community needs assessment survey along with a further application.

But this application was refused in July 2004.

At Radnage, an outline application made last year to demolish the church and build a house on the corner site was withdrawn. But Wycombe District Council said a sensitive conversion might be consistent with their policies.

Both chapels currently have D1 use which allows them to be turned into a medical practice, creche, school room, museum, public library, village hall or to display art so long as the pictures are not for sale or to hire.