Battle to save threatened building

PARISHIONERS OF an Edinburgh church threatened with closure over mounting debts have petitioned the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh to save what they describe as a “community hub”, writes Brian Morton.

St Paul’s in Muirhouse, which was built in 1971, is currently nearly £400,000 in debt but urgently requires new heating and other maintenance. Archbishop Leo Cushley described the church building as a “bad investment” and pointed to a “dramatically smaller” Catholic population in the area as further reason for the proposed closure, which has not yet been confirmed.

Two hundred and fifty people added their names to a petition that was handed to the archbishop at a special meeting in Muirhouse last week and community groups have joined in the campaign to keep the church open.

The chairman of the Tenants and Residents in Muirhouse action group, Robert Pearson, said that the issue was “not just about a building. It is about people’s lives and memories. Closing St Paul’s Church would be a huge loss to our community and we intend to work with the Church for the best outcome.”

One long-term Muirhouse resident and parishioner told The Tablet that the decision was being made by “architecture snobs … if it was an old stone church with fancy windows and in the city centre it would be propped up for years”.