Trinity Church in Govanhill has been put up for sale despite community protests

When two congregations in Govanhill merged five years ago, local groups sprung into action to preserve the B-listed Trinity Church.

A working group was set up between the local authority, Church of Scotland and charities - but there was dismay yesterday when a For Sale sign appeared at the building.

According to a church spokesman, no "viable or realistic" proposal was put forward for Trinity, a striking Neo-Gothic style building.

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Govanhill, in the Southside of Glasgow, has an active local community but suffers from lack of recreational space.

It had been hoped Trinity Church would provide a public space for use by third sector groups.

MSP Paul Sweeney, who is on the board of Glasgow City Heritage Trust, called the decision "incredibly frustrating".

He said: “Trinity Church in Govanhill has the potential to be a wonderful community space in the heart of the Southside, and to see it being put up for sale despite representations from the community is incredibly frustrating.

"I fear it will be sold to the highest bidder who will no doubt attempt to gut the interior of the building for residential purposes with a view to maximising profits on the residential market.

"Govanhill has always had a thriving local community and it is vital that this building is used for a community purpose."

A public consultation was launched to discuss the future of the Daisy Street building, which has been a hot topic locally since it closed in 2018.

Concerns have been raised about the condition of the building, the upkeep of which was being paid for by the congregation.

The church said the situation was no longer financially sustainable and that the congregation is "regretfully" selling the building.

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A spokesperson said: “The congregation at Trinity Church united with Queenspark Govanhill Parish Church around five years ago and members were very keen that the Trinity building continued to be used by the local community rather than being sold.

“A working group was set up by community and public bodies to examine how this could be achieved and the congregation, acting in good faith, continued to pay for insurance and maintenance costs which ran into tens of thousands of pounds.

“But sadly no viable and realistic proposal has ever been brought forward by the working group since then and at the beginning of this year the congregation made the difficult decision to put the building on the open market.

“The congregation feels it has been left with no choice and cannot see any alternative."

He added that the building will shortly be put on the open market.

But Mr Sweeney said this response was not good enough.

He said: "I would urge and actively encourage the Church of Scotland to liaise with local community groups, including the Glasgow Building Preservation Trust, who have done excellent work to determine the feasibility of the premises being used as an asset for the community.

"Local people have already been pushed out of the area by over-inflated property prices.

"It is utterly unconscionable that this magnificent building could contribute to that exodus, rather than being used as a space for the community who live in Govanhill to enjoy and cherish for generations to come.

"I will be requesting a meeting with the Church of Scotland to discuss their ongoing sale of historic buildings, including the Saint Columba’s church on St Vincent Street which was recently awarded category A listing by Historic Environment Scotland."

Govanhill councillor Soryia Siddique had also been involved in the campaign to maintain the building.

She said: "My understanding is there has been conversation between Glasgow City Council, Govanhill Housing Association and Community Renewal with a view towards bringing Trinity Church into community use.

"Initially there appeared to be progress.

"I am disappointed this has not been successful.

"I would urge Glasgow City Council to exhaust all avenues to bring the building back into community use."

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said the authority was aware of the situation.