A Perthshire church in “dangerous” condition has finally been demolished – three years after part of its iconic tower came crashing down in heavy rain.
The ruined Auchtergaven and Moneydie Parish Church on the edge of Bankfoot has been at the centre of a battle between a landowner and the Church of Scotland since the 2019 storm.
Irene Hamilton refused to let contractors access her land to demolish its remains after workers damaged her pavements during previous repairs.
But as a bulldozer moved in on Friday and began tearing down the building, the Church of Scotland confirmed the dispute had been resolved with the site being accessed via a different route.
A Church of Scotland spokesperson said: “The general trustees had attempted over a number of years to instigate the demolition of the ruined former Auchtergaven and Moneydie church building, which was the subject of a dangerous building notice from the council.
“Contractors were regrettably prevented from bringing plant equipment onto the site to carry out the work due to a dispute over access.
“However that has now been resolved and the demolition can go ahead, which is good news given the dangerous condition of the building.”
Part of the tower at Auchtergaven and Moneydie Parish Church, on the edge of Bankfoot, came crashing down in December 2019 during an early morning rain storm.
The building, which was destroyed during a fire in 2004, had been at the centre of an ambitious community buy-out bid when the storm took hold.
Campaigners said they were left devastated by the collapse, which threw their restoration plans into doubt.
The B-listed property was on the Buildings at Risk Register due to its condition.
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