Listing protects Guards Chapel in £3bn Chelsea Barracks scheme

A Victorian chapel at the heart of the £3 billion Chelsea Barracks scheme has been given Grade II listed status.

The 152-year-old Guards Chapel is the only remaining part of the original barracks.

Campaigners had called for it to be protected but it was refused listing as recently as 2009. At that time the site's owner and developer, Qatari Diar, were said to be keen to knock it down to simplify redevelopment of the site.

After Prince Charles intervened and Lord Rogers's scheme was withdrawn, the developer opted for a more traditional plan retaining the chapel. However, it said listing it would complicate any plans to reuse the church.

Heritage Minister John Penrose today said the importance of memorial panels bearing the images of King David, the prophet Joshua, St John and St James and names of soldiers killed in combat, had not been considered before.

The chapel, designed by George Morgan in 1859, cannot now be demolished or altered without permission. A spokesman for Qatari Diar said: "The plan always envisaged retaining the chapel at its heart. The minister's decision provides much-needed certainty."