The Church of Scotland has been branded “Judas” after attempting to force a community centre out of St George’s Church in Tillydrone.
That’s after community centre bosses refused to vacate their Hayton Road premises, despite Church fears that they could be “putting its users at risk”.
The building, opened in 1971, has been deemed a safety hazard by the Church of Scotland after a health and safety report concluded the building “was unsafe for use”.
Church bosses say “serious” water damage has rendered the building “unfit for occupation”.
And that damage is said to have left the roof “unrepairable”, with the only option going forward a frankly unaffordable £500,000 replacement.
Despite this, the community centre has continued to operate and they have been resistant to the idea of leaving their home.
It has led the Church to begin a legal process to remove community centre staff from the building. They also intend to sell the building.
The St George’s Community Centre board have, however, hit back at the building’s owners and claim they are “leaving the community in the lurch”.
Speaking to the Press and Journal, they claim they have seen no such roof report and that the owners knew of safety issues before leasing the building to them.
The chain of events has led community centre bosses to brand the Church “Judas” in an astonishing blast.
‘Judas would have been proud of them’
The St George’s Community Centre have vowed to fight for their centre, against what they call an “injustice”.
They claim that there has been no-communication” with the Church over the issue, despite “numerous attempts to contact them”
They have also disputed the roof issues and say independent contractors gave them an “affordable” quote to repair it.
In a statement issued to The Press and Journal they say: “We reached an agreement with St Machar’s Cathedral which was valid between June and October 2024 to lease the building.
“During this course of time it is stated by Church of Scotland that they knew there were serious issues with the roof, allowing us to continue to let the public use the building while we paid Church of Scotland a substantial amount of money each month.
“We feel we have all been used to breathe life into St George’s in order to show its marketable potential.
“Now that it has been proved to be a valuable and attractive venue again, they want to sell it.
“They want to take their 30 pieces of silver and leave the community in the lurch.
“Judas would have been proud of them. The church is acting contrary to its own Presbytery Mission.”
They added: “The community is ready to fight for St George’s Community Centre and for Tillydrone, recognised by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation as one of the most deprived communities in Scotland.”
St George’s Church ‘unfit for purpose’
However, the Church of Scotland have said they have not taken the decision to force the community centre out lightly, and that it is necessary “to protect the community from harm”.
They also claim they were unaware that the roof would be beyond repair before leasing it to St George’s Community Centre.
The Church adds that a lease to transfer repair responsibility over to the community centre was “never finalised”.
A spokesperson added: “St George’s Community Centre claims that a full repairing and insuring lease (FRI lease) of the building was agreed last July.
“If this type of commercial lease had been agreed, the community centre would now be responsible for all repairs and insurance as well as for utility payments, but the Church continues to pay the costs.
“The current safety risks and astronomic repair costs make it an unsustainable option for continued community use.”
The spokesman added: “Our immediate priority is the safety and well-being of those using the building.
“The decision to issue the notice to quit was not made lightly but was necessary to protect the community from potential harm.
“Unfortunately, St George’s Community Centre has not yet agreed to vacate the premises, making an already challenging situation even more difficult.
“We remain committed to exploring alternative ways to support community groups while ensuring safety and compliance with health and safety regulations.”
St George’s closed as a place for worship in 2019 after the decision was taken to discontinue worship in the cathedral.
The building was thereafter leased for the benefit of the local community.
The Church previously invested £50,000 in fire doors and to upgrade the electrical system to meet required safety standards.
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