Hopes for buy-outs as kirks put up for sale

The Church of Scotland is selling off scores of buildings after lockdown restrictions left it millions of pounds out of pocket.

The Kirk faces losing around one- third of its usual income after services were shut down over pandemic safety fears.

Now it hopes to reclaim cash by selling off some of its lesser-used halls, churches and houses.

More than £1 million worth of property in Tayside and Fife is now on the market, including historic churches at Collessie and Liff.

Rattray Community Hall in east Perthshire is the latest property being offered for sale. It has already attracted interest from residents who want to retain it for local groups.

The Balmoral Road venue, built in 1912, has been used as a resilience centre during lockdown and locals fear it could be lost to the community if it is snapped up by a private developer.

A Church of Scotland spokesman said :“The trustees of the congregation of Rattray Parish Church own the hall and have permission from the Presbytery of Dunkeld and Meigle to put it on the open market, although it is not officially up for sale yet.

“T he trustees would consider any offers made.”

He said the Church of Scotland manages one of the country ’s largest property portfolios comprising around 3,500 properties.

“The General Assembly supports the General Trustees’ vision of ensuring that the church has wellequipped places in the r igh t p laces ,” the spokesman added.

“A reduction in the number of properties will lead to significant new investment in church communities as well as the forma t ion o f new worshipping formats in different kinds of spaces and buildings.”

He said the Kirk’s priority was to focus on worship and mission, and its charitable purpose was not building conservation.

“We have had an excess of church buildings since the 1920s and, there are around 23 churches for sale and 10 are under offer,” said the spokesman.

“A total of 25 houses are currently for sale and 14 of them are under offer.”

As a proportion of the property portfolio, the number on the market at any time is usually less than 1%.

Properties can be selected for sale for a number of reasons and the proceeds of sales are retained for the benefit of the local congregation.

The Church of Scotland warned in May that it could lose about £30 million due to lockdown, although efforts have been made to reduce projected losses.

Samantha Stewart, who is leading the community buy- out bid in Rattray, said: “We really want to save this for the community. It’s such an ideal building and has so much potential.

“Over the years, Rattray has lost quite a lot of its community spaces so it would be really great to keep it and continue supporting local groups.”

The group is aiming to raise £50,000, but expects to need further aid from other sources.

“The Church of Scotland has told us they would be keen to back a community buy-out,” she said.

“The hall is very well used by local groups, so our vision is to keep it running as it is and hopefully open it up to lots more people.

“T he Royal Hotel in Blairgowrie recently shut down and I know that 19 community groups used that for their meetings, and now they have no home. So this would be another option for them and another way we can help the community.”

She said: “If it goes on the open market it could be bought by a private developer and maybe lost to the community for good, which we really don’t want to happen.”

To get involved with the fundraising drive, visit the Discover Blairgowrie website or call 07936 067 294.