Last year, a construction in Aberdeenshire that used to be a place of worship stated that a collective will face consequences if they don’t remove themselves from the premises, following on from the roofing system being considered as a ‘Safety hazard.’
St Machar’s Cathedral has expressed its “Serious concerns,” on the roofing system, a system that has to be changed.
St George’s Community Centre have been relying on the area for nearly the past year, and were made aware of the dangers at a meeting. It was revealed that the roofing system was hazardous, with members of the community centre being in danger.
Members of the community centre were given around 2 months to remove themselves from the premises, safeguarding “The community from potential harm.” Towards the end of February, the place of worship revealed that members had not left, and are now considering to take lawful proceedings to remove them.
The Church of Scotland stated the following: “This is an unfortunate situation but our serious safety concerns mean we cannot allow community members to continue using the building.”
“We hope the community centre will leave voluntarily but if they do not, we must continue the eviction process.”
“When St George’s Community Centre moved into the building, we were unaware that the roof would soon become beyond repair.”
“We discovered the severity of the problems last September when the roofing company that had been regularly repairing the roof told us they could not continue the work because further deterioration could not be prevented.”
“A full health and safety audit of the building carried out by Church of Scotland building experts found the timbers had suffered serious water damage rendering the building unfit for occupation.”
“The only way the building could be made safe would be to install a new roof, estimated to cost £500,000.”
“Unfortunately, St George’s Community Centre has not yet agreed to vacate the premises, making an already challenging situation even more difficult.”
“We remain committed to exploring alternative ways to support community groups while ensuring safety and compliance with health and safety regulations.”
