A COMMUNITY has bought an abandoned 200-year-old church for just £1 in a milestone move to bring ownerless properties in Scotland back into use.
Campsie High Kirk, Lennoxtown, will become a community arts centre following major restoration after it was left vacant for more than 40 years, after it was badly damaged by a fire in the 1980s.
Last year, the Ownerless Property Transfer Scheme (OPTS) was launched by the King’s and Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer (KLTR), and the transfer of the East Dunbartonshire kirk has been considered a flagship case for the new scheme.
OPTS aims to bring properties that have fallen to the Crown to be brought back into purposeful use for the benefit of local communities.
Local authorities and community groups can apply for ownerless properties to be transferred to them for a nominal sum, but applicants must demonstrate that the planned use is supported by the community, sustainable and in the public interest.
The church will be taken over by the Friends of Campsie High Kirk after the group successfully applied to acquire the building from the KLTR for the nominal sum of £1, plus the costs of transfer.
According to the Scotsman, John Logue, from the KLTR, said: “The Friends of Campsie High Kirk presented a really compelling case for not only rescuing this magnificent building from further decline but also providing a community arts hub with the potential to give a huge economic and cultural boost to the Lennoxtown area.
“We are delighted to see the opportunities provided by the OPTS used in this way and look forward to watching the transformation.”
Craig Brooks, chair of the Friends of Campsie High Kirk, welcomed the handover, which is due to be completed on Wednesday at the church.
“It’s not just about saving a building. It’s about something much bigger,” Brooks said.
“It’s about communities being empowered by those in a position to give them the tools to make it happen.
"That applies from government right down to communities like ours.”
Around 3200 buildings in Scotland, including former schools, garage yards, abattoirs and hotels, sit on the vacant and derelict land (VDL) register.
