To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to prevent the permanent loss of church buildings with significant cultural or heritage value, in light of the decision by the Church of Scotland to reduce its estate. (S6O-05124)

Although decisions about church closures are for the churches themselves, not the Scottish ministers, I am keen to ensure that the cultural value of such sites is appropriately considered during any decision making, and that the appropriate planning regulations are applied. On its website, Historic Environment Scotland provides advice and guidance for asset owners, community groups and developers.

I have met the Scotland’s Churches Trust and members of the general trustees of the Church of Scotland to discuss my concerns, and I will continue to engage with stakeholders to explore approaches to safeguard those important assets for future generations and for the communities in which they lie.

Built in 1592, Burntisland old parish church is a category A-listed landmark with deep cultural and community significance. It is known as the birthplace of the King James Bible. It is one of hundreds of buildings that the Church of Scotland is disposing of. However, the church is of historic and cultural importance and, without Intervention, it is at risk of being lost. A community group has been established to explore all avenues, and Historic Environment Scotland has visited the site. Will the Cabinet secretary consider visiting Burntisland to see at first hand that undervalued jewel on the Fife coast and to discuss how we can protect that heritage building for future generations?

I thank Claire Baker for raising the issue of Burntisland parish church and for extending an invitation, which I am happy to accept. It is important to note that communities, in seeking to understand their options for the future use of churches, are best advised by those whose job it is to do so—in this instance, Historic Environment Scotland. However, I am happy to be apprised of the situation. I have seen some really good examples of potential new uses for churches. Perhaps some of those are options that are currently being explored by the community itself, and I would be happy to hear about that.

I declare an interest as a member of the Church of Scotland. That said, I share the concern about the speed with which the Kirk is disposing of so many properties that have been at the heart of their communities—for centuries, in some cases—and to which many people have a strong emotional connection.

I am certainly aware of community groups across my region that are interested in acquiring historic church buildings, but need time to put together a business case and raise the funds, and are concerned about the speed with which the Church of Scotland is putting those properties on the market. Those groups are worried that they will not get that opportunity, because a delay has not been built into the process. I therefore encourage the Cabinet secretary, if he is engaging with the Church of Scotland, to encourage it not to force the process along too quickly and to allow any community interest that expresses a view that they might want to purchase a property the time to put together a business case so that those assets are not lost to the communities that they serve.

Murdo Fraser has made a very good point. First, there is the issue of the accelerating rate at which churches are being disposed of across denominations. Incidentally, it is not just the Christian church but other faith groups which have been disposing of property, because of societal change and so on. I think that everybody understands that.

Secondly, we have the specific point that Murdo Fraser has raised, which is about the speed of disposal, which may be too quick for communities to have the option to get the best advice.

I assure Murdo Fraser that advice and information are available through the Historic Environment Scotland website. As we heard from Claire Baker, there has been Historic Environment Scotland involvement with other community groups. If Murdo Fraser has specific issues about specific sites and communities, I would be grateful if he could forward those to me. I am having discussions with the Church of Scotland and other denominations to best understand what we can do, because, if the process is accelerating, that will present an even greater challenge—albeit, potentially, an opportunity—and we have to make our way through the process as well as we can.