Council puts controversial £1 church deal on hold

Published on Saturday 3 January 2009 19:20

SCOTLAND'S biggest local authority has backed out of a controversial deal to sell a historic church for just £1.

Glasgow City Council last year signalled it would accept a token sum for the city's Archdiocese for St Francis, the landmark Victorian building in the Gorbals that once housed one of Scotland's biggest Catholic congregations.

Council chiefs, however, have had a last-minute change of heart after realising just how expensive it could be to replace the church, which is currently used as a community centre.

Officials, Scotland on Sunday has learned, have put talks on the future of the building on hold.

A source said: "This whole wrangle has gone on for long enough. The Church tried to get the St Francis building, which is beautiful, back on the cheap, and the council, which was tired of paying the hefty maintenance bills, seemed happy enough to let it go.

"But some of the local groups who meet in the church went up in arms – and the council realised that, what with the credit crunch, it didn't have as much money to play with as it would have liked."

The decision by the council to freeze negotiations means Catholics will have to continue to meet in the hall of a neighbouring church, Blessed Duns Scotus, after two successive candle fires damaged its church.

But the council is understood to have pleased some of the community groups who met in the St Francis building and feared they would not get alternative accommodation.

The Archdiocese of Glasgow – and the Franciscan Friars who would run the church – have said that they would have continued to welcome community groups.

A council spokeswoman said: "The council has been in discussions with the Archdiocese about the possibility of St Francis being acquired by them and re-established as a centre for religious worship.

"Negotiations have been put on hold in the interim as there are plans to review the range and extent of council-owned properties which can potentially offer accommodation for local community-based activity."

A spokesman for the Archdiocese said he hoped discussions would resume.