Things to know before buying a church

There are many ways to keep these buildings in use and ensure that you have a viable project. This page gives an overview of things to consider when thinking about taking on one of these amazing spaces.

There may be no more services at the church, but the church still needs services. Are water, gas, electricity and drainage to the church in place?

If not, are there planning issues to putting them in? Potential issues could include graves or burial grounds, scheduled monuments, or listed walls. This may mean the services need to take a different route into the building or use a creative non-invasive solution.

Consider access to the building and its surroundings, both your access and others.

Do you need to agree legal access over land that you do not own? What is access to the church like in terms of paths, pavements, steps or parking? Is there vehicular access to the building?

If it is situated in a burial ground, you'll need to know whether it or not it will be used for new burials, or if public access to memorials and monuments will need to be maintained.

These buildings can be challenging to heat, so consider potential adaptations in order to improve efficiency. Note the EPC rating of the building, and bear in mind that some adaptations suitable for other buildings may not be suitable for these ones.

One of our refurbishment case studies details how radiant panels and an air source heat pump were installed at Kilmelford Church:

How adaptable is the building and space for your needs?

Conversions can be complex and may require an architect or design professional to assist in drawing up a proposal. For example, many church windows were not meant to be seen out of and can be drafty.

Large windows with their sill above head height may need careful adaptation for domestic dwellings.

Have you checked what is for sale carefully?

The surrounding land may not be included, even if it looks like it’s a distinct ‘plot’. Many churches are surrounded by land which may be owned by separate entities. In Scotland most burial grounds surrounding churches are owned by local authorities.

Be sure to be clear on what (if any) of the surrounding land is included within the title of the church. You can use Scotland's Land Information Service to find out more.

Search the land register

Some older churches, or churches built on older sites, might have burials under the church floor.

If burials are discovered on a development site, it’s the developer’s responsibility to inform the police. The cost of handling ancient burials on development sites usually falls upon the developer. This work would be supervised by the planning authority.

If these are known about, the new owners will become a burial authority even if there are no further plans to carry out burials. Check if these burials come with a right of access or encumbrance. In Scots law, an encumbrance is a right that burdens land, and that right is held by someone who is not the owner of the land.

Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016

Consider the regular and long-term maintenance of decorative or monumental features. This can include stained-glass windows, a belfry, bells, memorials, towers, or steeples. These can be complex architectural features which need specialist advice to maintain or repair.

The Faith in Maintenance project run by The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings features useful information about looking after historic places of worship and understanding their features and vulnerabilities.

Faith in Maintenance

What designations cover the building and its surroundings?

Many historic buildings are designated, either as a listed building, a scheduled monument, or an area designation such as a Garden and Designed Landscape or Conservation Area. More than one designation may affect a building.

If a building is designated then changes to the building and other historic fabric in its curtilage may need a special type of consent.

If the building is listed then that process is called listed building consent. Decisions around listed building consent are taken by the local authority. In many cases you will need to apply for change of use of the building if you plan to adapt it.

You may need to check for nature designations for protected species. For example, bats living inside the building, or trees in the curtilage protected by a tree preservation order.

• Search for a protected historic place on trove.scot
• What is a Protected Historic Place?
• Consents and permissions
• Information on nature designations from NatureScot

Ecclesiastical Exception applies to buildings in use as places of worship. This excludes them from the usual need to obtain listed building consent to carry out works. It does not apply to a former place of worship. Once it ceases to be used as a place of worship, listed building consent should be sought for alterations to the building.

Will you need to secure planning permission to change the use of the building? Converting a former place of worship into residential accommodation or business will be considered a change in use. Consider speaking to the local authority Planning and Building Standards team to learn more about this process and how long it will take.