 The chapel gained its own full parish for the first time in 1896, at which point the ownership of the church was transferred to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.By this time, however, the residential population of central Brighton was declining rapidly as the streets making up the parish became more commerce– and retail–focused.Three proposals had been made by 1930 to incorporate the unparished Holy Trinity Church in nearby Ship Street into the Chapel Royal's parish, in order to expand it and make it more viable.