New ‘eco’ church is now open

Oct 24 2008 by Andrew Welsh, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

A NEWLY completed £1.8million church has opened its doors in a Perthshire village.

More than 4½ years after an unexplained fire destroyed Bankfoot’s historic old kirk, the Church of Scotland has unveiled its first environmentally-friendly place of worship as a replacement.

The 'green' premises at Tulliebelton Road boast renewable energy sources and a range of facilities for wider community use.

Diverse attractions such as a sports hall, day care centre, health clinic, conference facilities, a cafe and a soft play area for children are all present.

Residents had been left without a permanent place of worship since a blaze ripped through Auchtergaven and Moneydie Parish Church in February, 2004, causing more than £1 million worth of damage.

However, the new, state-of-the-art building at Bankfoot’s western edge is expected to finally compensate for the loss of the B-listed 19th century kirk, whose ruins still stand atop the village’s prominent Cairneyhill.

The Rev Iain McFadzean said a wide cross-section of locals had shown their commitment by raising £100,000 towards the project.

“The building will be well used by a variety of local projects,” he said yesterday.

“It seems to have inspired a number of other churches to pursue their own green initiatives and we’ve even had visitors from Canada and the USA.

“We are pleased to share our knowledge and experience and would urge any group considering whether to pursue this avenue to get in touch.”

Eco-friendly features incorporated into the new structure include two wind turbines and a ground source heat pump.

Proving the church’s green credentials, the 1400sqm premises have the lowest carbon footprint of any commercial building in Scotland, comparable to a small bungalow’s annual output.

With no public money going into the scheme, the lion’s share of funding came from Church of Scotland trusts set up after property sales.

External backers included the Gannochy Trust and the Hugh Fraser Foundation.

North Tayside MP John Swinney, Scotland’s finance minister, said the Bankfoot premises were a blueprint for future developments.

“This will provide a fantastic facility which can be used for the whole of the community,” he said yesterday.

“This is truly an eco-church which we can all be proud of.”