B-listed church hits open market after community group's sale option runs out

A B-listed church in Troon that locals hope to turn into a community hub has gone on the open market after an exclusivity of sale option on the building expired.

Troon Development Trust still want to purchase Troon Old Parish Church from the Church of Scotland, but a request to extend exclusivity for the community group was knocked back.

It has now been listed on online property sites with a £199,999 price tag. The trust say they fear the building could become a local eyesore unless it is taken over and properly developed.

However the church said it could not continue to afford the running costs of the building, parts of which date back to 1837, meaning a buyer is needed as soon as possible.

In 2019 the Church of Scotland's three parishes in Troon announced plans to merge into one - which meant one of the area's properties was no longer needed.

The Troon Development Trust were granted exclusive rights to secure a transfer of the building, but had only about four months to raise the £200,000. This was extended by a further three months, but ran out in December last year.

A description on Rightmove says the church is an "impressive B-listed property comprising two historic buildings: the main church and the original church building dating from 1837, now utilised as a church hall."

It suggests possible uses for the building include as a crèche, day nursery, day centre, educational establishment, museum, art gallery or public library.

The development trust say they are concerned that the building's condition might deteriorate as time goes on, and that any buyer might lose interest in fully developing the site due to the costs involved.

They want to use turn the church into somewhere that could host anything from martial arts classes to art workshops.

An evening café and local heritage centre also feature in the plans.

Maureen Leonard of the trust told BBC Scotland: "We are a small town and there is a lot of fundraising going for different things, so £200,000 is a big amount in a short amount of time.

"We are still looking at some funding methods, like bidding again for the Scottish Land Fund.

"Whether that will happen before the Church of Scotland accepts another bid is the unknown - there is apparently some interest being shown but we don't know by who.

"If we do get outbid, it's one of those things but it would be hugely disappointing [for the area]. We will not be giving up though."

She added that the trust was still exploring funding options and that it remained important for the wider community to have a hub for local groups.

A Church of Scotland spokesman said nearly a third of all church buildings sold last year went to community groups.

He added: "The Troon Development Trust (TDT), who had been using the property via a locally arranged hall let, made contact with the church in March last year.

"They were initially given an exclusivity of sale option until the end of September 2025 to give the group time to raise the necessary funds to buy the building.

"This was later extended until the end of December. In November last year, TDT requested a six-month extension.

"As the congregation is responsible for the accumulating running costs of keeping the building open, it was decided that a further extension request could not be supported and the building would need to be placed on the open market."

Offers from the trust on the open market would be welcomed, the spokesman said.