Churches in Scotland called to Sacrifice Buildings for Homes

An Edinburgh church has urged more churches in Scotland to follow in their footsteps and sacrifice their decaying church buildings in order to meet the country’s growing demand for affordable housing.

Duke Street United Reformed Church has taken the unique step of bulldozing its church building in order make way for 22 new flats with a church incorporated to the new building.

The Church took the unusual decision after members decided that the £250,000 needed to run the church was no longer justifiable given that the building was no longer appropriate to their needs.

The Church, whose building dates back to 1847, has made a deal with the Port of Leith Housing Association to replace the church with 18 new flats and 4 houses, with space on the ground floor for the new church.

Chief executive of Scottish Churches Housing Action Alastair Cameron expressed the hope that more congregations would follow Duke Street’s lead.

He said: “Church members naturally feel sad at losing their property.

“But we are saying to churches, if you have a property which you are having difficulty with or which is no longer needed, although that is regrettable, it is also an opportunity. And we are asking churches to look at the opportunity for affordable housing as the first option.”

The SCHA, whose members also include the Church of Scotland and the Roman Catholic Church, said the church had a role to play in meeting its target for housing.

“The current target works out at about 7500 a year. We say we need at least 10,000 a year,” said Mr Cameron. “But we also believe the churches have a contribution to make from their own resources.”

He continued: “Church buildings are often important parts of the cityscape and, yes, they can be converted into nightclubs, but affordable housing is a much more worthwhile use.”

President of Duke Street URC said the decision to have the church razed had not been easy for the 120-strong congregation but that it made sense: “The building had seen better days. The stonework was needing care and attention and the roof was going to be the next issue.

“When we weighed the whole thing up it didn’t make a lot of sense to spend all that money.”

The best part of the church has now been demolished with the congregation sharing in worship with Portobello URC after its last service in the old church last November.

A few bits and pieces from the church have been salvaged, including some of the stained glass windows and the organ which will be reconstructed in the new church.

Mr Graham said the Church had decided not to sell the site to a developer despite this being the more lucrative option, as none were keen to allow the church to remain as part of the new development, and because the church itself was also keen to help solve Scotland’s housing shortage.

The new development will have the church on the ground floor with a multi-purpose hall with a sanctuary area, screened off during the week and opened up on Sundays, as well as a modern kitchen.

Development manager with Port of Leith Housing Association Willie Drysdale said: “We have worked hard to bring together this project which allows the church to stay where they are and serve the area as they have over the years and allows us to build 22 affordable units.”