A damning report on a “potentially dangerous” Perthshire church hall has revealed £800,000 would be needed to bring it back into use.
Crieff and Upper Strathearn Partnership (CUSP) commissioned a survey on St Michael’s Church hall located in the heart of the town.
The report from chartered surveyors Ralph Ogg & Partners showed a complete revamp would be needed to bring the “very poor” building up to scratch for any future use.
The building was bought by the Crieff Community Arts Festival in 1993 but fell into disrepair in 1997 with masonry falling from the rafters.
In 2009, the hall’s main users, Kyokushin Karate Group, stopped using the venue due to a lack of funds to repair it and provide adequate facilities.
As a result, members of CUSP commissioned the report to investigate options.
The new document states the external fabric of the building is in “very poor” condition and needs external and internal refurbishment and alterations.
Changes would include stripping existing asbestos slates, replacing rotten timber, rebuilding stone parapet walls, renewing all windows and external doors, installing new lightning conductors and providing disabled access. Internally, it is necessary to strip out all walls, floors and ceiling finishes.
New plumbing and heating is required and the electrics, kitchen, toilets and firefighting equipment all need to be replaced.
The report also estimates it would cost around £40,000 to demolish the church hall.
CUSP said that while they recognise the importance of the site as a place of religious, historical and family significance, they believe the church hall is in a “very tired” and “potentially dangerous” state.
A spokesperson said: “We hope the report will be a useful tool for residents, the local authority, government agencies, charities and potential investors.
“At least any person or group wanting to restore, demolish or simply try to preserve what is left of the building can have no doubt about the scale of investment required.”