CHURCHES FIND SAINT
THE Anglican Church has reached out to an investor from the mainland who claims to want to buy as many churches as possible and retain them as places of worship. The church has also revealed submissions had so far been received for 34 of the 70 churches on the list.
AN INTERSTATE property mogul remains interested in buying Tasmania’s Anglican churches as the countdown to the sale approaches.
The diocese will decide in December which of the 108 properties slated for sale — including more than 70 churches — will go on the market.
In the interim, the church is being asked, through public submissions, to reconsider its stance in regard to 34 of the properties it has voted to sell to fund its commitments for redress to victims of child abuse.
In May, real estate agent Andrew Hills, from PDR Nationwide at New Norfolk, re- vealed a wealthy interstate benefactor was interested in buying any Anglican churches that go on sale in order to retain them as places of worship.
Mr Hills said the benefactor was still keen to do so.
“I am still in conversation with the potential buyer and have asked the Anglican Church for a meeting to establish a process around that,’ Mr Hills said.
“My guy is still there and he is interested in buying as many churches as he can.”
The church yesterday confirmed its office had been in communication with Mr Hills.
“He was aware that we were waiting for our redress project manager to be appointed and that we would be in touch,” a spokeswoman said.
The deadline for parishes and individuals to lodge a submission to the diocese to ask that a certain church, hall or block of land be taken off the for sale list was October 1.
The diocese said it had received submissions from parishes for 34 properties and they were being worked through. In the North-West, five of the 10 parishes with churches on the redress list have lodged alternative submissions.
Mr Hills has sold many churches during his career, of various faiths, including ones at Kempton, Parratah and Tunnack, for $75,000 to just under $300,000.