Fears Badenoch and Strathspey could be left without church venue for largest funerals
There are heightened fears the strath could lose its biggest venue for funeral services because of an on-going clash with Highland Council planners.
Inverallan Church leaders have again lost in their bid to have PV solar power panels erected on the roof of the historic Grantown building.
They had been hoping it would be third time lucky after submitting the proposal in April, earlier this year, with the number of photovoltaic panels cut from 45 to 39.
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Town funeral directors have express their own concerns if the category B listed church is forced to close there will be nowhere for large-scale weddings, funerals and other religious gatherings.
Church committee members have repeatedly warned if no solution can be found to the wrangle then Inverallan’s doors are likely to close for good.
The church has been trying to put the building at the heart of the community for nearly a decade through its Inverallan 20/20 project.
Inverallan Church would be maintained as a place of worship but also become a community hub.
However, in order to do so the running costs of the cavernous building need to be affordable which is why elders say the installation of in-roof PV panels and associated battery storage is so pivotal.
Church spokeswoman Ann Ralston said: “We are extremely disappointed in this decision, especially as it has taken Highland Council seven months to reach it.
“We are also frustrated that the application was not called in by Highland councillors and in spite of the many comments in support of it, the views of the council’s historic environment team held sway.
“The timing of this decision could not be worse as the congregation has been buoyed in recent weeks by the imminent arrival of a new minister after more than three years in vacancy.
“The project team has met to decide how to proceed, and as access to the electricity provided by solar PV panels remains crucial to the on-going long term viability of the building, we have decided to appeal the decision.”
Nikki Ross, owner of the town’s John Ross Funeral Services, said she was ‘deeply disappointed’ by the refusal.
“The church committee is making forward-thinking efforts to ensure this historic venue is sustainable and remains available for the whole community,” she commented.
“Inverallan Church holds a special place in our hearts and it would be devastating to see such an essential community space put at risk.
“It’s the only venue in the strath that can accommodate large funerals. Just last year, we held a service there with over 600 people in attendance – no other venue in the area could even come close to handling those numbers.
“We sincerely hope the council will reconsider and help protect the future of this vital community resource.”
Lindsay Jack & Son Funeral Directors have also expressed their concern saying any closure of the church would be a ‘huge loss’ to the community.
The Grantown Society and town’s museum and heritage trust both supported the application due to its significance for the current project and the ultimate future of the building.
However, the council’s historic environment team said it strongly objected to the proposal which ‘pointlessly repeated a previous and near identical scheme which was refused and dismissed at appeal’ in April, last year.
Planners said it would take up around half of the southwest facing roof above the main entrance to the church within Grantown’s conservation area.
The roof location itself cannot be seen from the main approach on Church Avenue as it is hidden behind the gable but would be prominent from Grant Road.
The wider Inverallan 20/20 plans are to create a flexible sanctuary for worship and use as a concert and performance venue.
The £1.1m redevelopment also includes meeting rooms and activity spaces, toilets, stairs and lift and provision of social enterprise cafe.
Planning consent is in place but subject to the wrangle being sorted.
The church team has also pointed out that grander venues than their 138 year old church - including Edinburgh Castle and York Minister - already have the technology mounted.
What the council planning officers are saying
Highland Council planners rejected the bid saying consent for the PV panels would introduce ‘a prominent, incongruous, contemporary feature” and ‘adversely impact the special architectural and historic interest’of the church.
Council planning officer Jennifer Mair stated in her refusal: “The supporting information and ‘justification’ from the applicant is not considered to outweigh the impact on the historic and architectural value of the building.”
She added: “This should not be seen as a lack of support for renewable technologies located within heritage contexts in general.
“It is recognised that the can be an important component in securing the long-term future of historic buildings.
“Where proposed, however, it is important they are carefully and discretely located so as not to compromise the special architectural interest, character and appearance of the listed building.”
Council officers and Historic Environment Scotland have suggested the PV panels could be placed elsewhere on the roof.
The council’s historic environment team is described in the report as ‘strongly objecting to the proposal, which is pointlessly repeating a previous near identical scheme which was refused and dismissed at appeal.”
However, the church’s committee maintain the project will not be financially viable if the optimum location is not used after carefully checking their figures.
The full planning refusal can be read here.
