By Scott Wright
A BAPTIST church in the heart of Glasgow’s west end is to be converted into luxury flats.
Wemyss Properties has secured planning approval to develop 29 apartments in the B-listed Hillhead Baptist Church, just off Byres Road. It secures the future of a building following a 20-year period during which its main sanctuary lay empty for safety reasons.
The congregation had been meeting in The Tryst, a smaller part of the building, but left in 2016 when it too began to deteriorate. Since then, services have been held in a nearby hotel. A new church and community facility for Hillhead Baptist Church will be created as part of the plans.
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Work on the £6.5 million project, which will include one, two and three-bedroom flats designed by EMA Architects, is scheduled to start in 2021, subject to “understanding the after-effects of the current Covid crisis”. The flats will be built in a five-level extension behind the façade, which will be retained.
Matthew Atton, managing director of Wemyss Properties, said: “We are delighted to secure detailed planning permission for this exciting development.
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"We have been working with the trustees and the congregation of Hillhead Baptist Church now for nearly three years to try and retain the existing façade, but more importantly, to provide the church with a new facility that will ensure its presence in the community for many more generations.”
The Rev Catriona Gorton, of Hillhead Baptist Church, said: “The church has worked for many years to find a solution which would safeguard this much-loved building, so it’s a huge relief to get the go-ahead for this sensitive scheme. Not only will it protect this historic building, it will also ensure its future as a home for our congregation.”
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