Light at end of the tunnel to save historic Grantown church
There is finally some light at the end of the tunnel for a Grantown congregation in its bid to save their historic church.
Members of Highland Council’s Planning Review Body have overturned a contentious decision by their officers in November, last year, and granted alterations and installation of in-roof solar panels on the roof of the Category B listed Inverallan Church.
Local Highland councillor Bill Lobban asserted at the meeting at Inverness headquarters: “We have to find ways of making important historic buildings like this viable or there is a significant danger that, like others, Inverallan Church will be abandoned and fall into disrepair.
“We can see this all over the Highlands.”
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It is nearly a decade since kirk leaders came forward with the £1.1 million Inverallan 20/20 project to put Inverallan Church at the heart of Grantown by creating community facilities including meeting rooms, activity space, toilets and a social enterprise cafe.
But the battle is not yet quite over as it has emerged since Tuesday’s delight that applicants The Church of Scotland still need to obtain Listed Building Consent from the government agency Historic Environment Scotland.
Councillor Lobban spoke passionately in favour of the committee granting approval - at the third time of asking - this time for the addition of the 39 PV panels on the church’s south-west facing roof.
He said: “Whilst the building is located in a conservation area we have to look closely at the buildings which surround it - mostly 1960s and 1970s bungalows with little or no architectural merit.
“Whereas we see, a stroll along Grant Road in the direction of the church shows the carbuncle that’s the Cairngorms National Park Authority building which was approved by South Planning Applications Committee presumably without objection from the council’s Historic Environment team.
“I contend that this building has a far greater negative impact on the conservation area than a few solar panels.
“The whole basis of the Historic Environment team’s objection is that solar panels should not be located on a principal frontage roof slope… this is not a principal frontage roof slope.
“The principal frontage is only viewable from Church Avenue.”
Councillor Lobban added: “The local community is overwhelmingly in support of this application which, combined with the previously consented permission, will ensure that this building will remain a viable community asset for the foreseeable future and beyond. I therefore propose that we uphold the appeal and grant planning permission.”
Councillor Paul Oldham, chair of the council’s South PAC: “Councillor Lobban has done some of our work for us which is good.
“When this came to South PAC as a complete application it was a very imaginative use of the building… it was up for refusal because of the solar panels and we reluctantly removed the solar panels from the application so that we could approve the rest of it because it was such a good re-use of the building.
“In this situation I think we are badly out of step with the rest of the UK. Kings College Cambridge which compared to this building really is top-notch in terms of listing, ended up putting solar panels all the way along the roof of their building and we’re at a loss to understand why it’s not acceptable here.
“It’s a fine church but it’s just a church, in a location where it’s not on the front of the building.”
Councillor Margaret Paterson said: “We’re going to have to go through this quite a bit more in the future and the council’s Historic Environment team are going to have to think again because there are churches closing all over and it’s because of the heating.
“They’re not having their services in the church because they can’t afford the heating and they’re all thinking about getting these panels, even my own church.”
The application was unanimously approved.
Jane Shepherd, who runs Grantown-based The Town Planner and has advised on the application, said: “I am so delighted that common sense finally prevailed.
“I am extremely passionate about saving church buildings and presented the strongest case possible to support the future of Inverallan Church.”
‘Prayers have been answered’
One of the leaders of Inverallan Church said their prayers have been answered.
Ann Ralston, who has headed the project, said: “All of us in the church are obviously delighted and much relieved to have planning approval at last.
“I’d like to thank the planning review body members for their understanding and foresight in accepting that solar PV panels are essential to the future viability of the building - not just as a church but also as a community asset.
“We now have a new Minister in place and the church’s future is much more optimistic in every sense.
“It has been a long hard road to get here, more than three years since our first planning application.”
The project team will be meeting soon to plan the way ahead.
Subject to Listed Building Consent, Mrs Ralston said: “We will want to move quickly on the installation of the solar PV panels, and we have already pre-prepared a number of grant applications.
“Costs have risen considerably in the last few years but we hope to have sufficient funds available for a first phase of the project to make the building more welcoming and adaptable by installing new heating, removing the pews and installing a kitchen.”
Local funeral directors had expressed concerns the strath would lose its largest venue if the church - which can hold 600 people - did have to lock up for good.
