Should the Community Purchase & Develop Saltoun Church?

Community Meeting

Monday 3rd February 2025 at 7.30pm in Saltoun Church

Following meetings and discussions in the community during 2024 about what will happen to the church building when it is sold by the Church of Scotland, the Community Council with the support of East Lothian Council, engaged surveyors to produce a report on the cost and practicalities of purchasing and developing the building.

The report suggests that the church is currently in good condition. It outlines the requirements for developing the church building for public use as a café, including the provision of space for a kitchen and public toilets along with the necessary water and utilities that this would require. While clearly not a straightforward development, at least in part due to the A-listed building status and the surrounding ancient graveyard, necessary precautions are taken into account in the report and its findings.

Following the completion of the report, and as promised at previous meetings, the Community Council is holding a community meeting to enable the community to determine if there is sufficient enthusiasm amongst the residents to seek third party funding to purchase the church and develop it as a community enterprise such as a café.

Please come to the meeting to find out more and to share your views.

The full survey report can be access here.