Methodist church sold to highest bidder
A CHURCH has been sold to the highest bidder despite efforts from a campaign group to raise the funds to buy it.
The Bollington Community Heritage Trust was set in 2012 up after the Methodist Church Council decided to sell the church on Wellington Road.
The trust wanted to buy the Grade II Listed building so it could continue to be used by all the community groups in the town, including the Guides, Brownies and Bollington Brass Band.
But, despite raising the asking price of £250,000 through grants, donations and fundraising events, the church has been sold to a mystery bidder for an undisclosed sum.
Heather Cann, a trust committee member and district co-ordinator for Bollington Guides, said: “We’re absolutely gob-smacked.
“We understood that the church would sell it to us if we could raise the asking price, which we have done, but now we’ve found out it’s been sold to someone who has outbid us.
“It’s a shame, at the minute it is being used by the community - we have events planned for September so we don’t know what’s going to happen there.
“We don’t know who has bought it or what they plan to do with it.”
Cheshire East Councillor Bill Livesley, who represents Bollington, said he was saddened by the news.
He said: “It’s disappointing, the market has decided the buyers so we will have to see what happens at planning.”
He added: “It’s not dead and buried yet. At the moment we don’t know the details of the sale. It could be that they have made an offer subject to getting planning permission so it has a new layer to get through.
The church was put up for sale in 2012 after the Methodist Church decided the old building was too expensive to run.
The Revd Howard Stringer, Superintendent of the Macclesfield Circuit, confirmed a bid has been accepted subject to contract.
He said: “The church took the decision to close over two years ago. It has taken this time to effect the decision because the church wanted to make sure that as many people as possible were consulted.
“We share people’s sadness that this building has to be sold, but the mission and life of the Church rests in its people, not its buildings.
“The Methodist Church has a legal obligation under Charity Law to secure the best price for its buildings, unless there are compelling reasons to undersell to an organisation that shares our charitable aims. In this case, the church was bound by law to sell to the highest bidder. The bulk of the funds raised by the sale will stay in the area for continuing our local work.”
A planning application for the venue has not yet been submitted.