Killough church hall sale plans opposed

Killough church hall sale plans opposed

26 June 2019

PLANS by the Catholic Church to sell the parochial hall in Killough have run into local opposition.

A protest group, which has drawn up a petition opposing the sale, says the loss of the hall would be a serious blow to the village.

The group has also questioned whether the church authorities are legally entitled to sell the property.

They say the hall was built with money donated by parishioners and cannot be sold without their consent.

The church wants to sell the Main Street hall along with the adjoining parochial house, which is uninhabited, and some land nearby.

Protesters claim they only discovered about the proposal when they read about it in the local parish bulletin a couple of weeks ago.

A petition was submitted online to the Down and Connor Diocese on the closing date for submissions last Friday,. A second, larger petition, with approximately 400 signatures, is expected to be presented to the church authorities later this week.

Anne Laird-Arnold, chairperson of the Save Killough Community Hall Committee, said no decision on the sale should be made until a public meeting is held.

“The people of Killough need to have their say,” she said. “The hall cannot be sold without the consent of the local people.”

Mrs Laird-Arnold says the hall has not been used since January and that requests to stage events have been refused, including during next month’s Killough Festival.

“This hall has been the hub of our community for many years,” she continued. “For it to be sold without proper consultation is very disheartening.”

Mrs Laird-Arnold said the community would be prepared to take over the running of the hall and carry out repairs.

“We would be willing to take it on. We have tradesmen who are prepared to do whatever is needed,” she remarked.

“We have almost total support in the village. The people of Killough do not want this sale to happen.”

A spokesman for the Diocese of Down and Connor said the hall was deemed unsafe for use following a health and safety audit in 2017 and a separate inspection in March this year.

The spokesman said that in January this year the person looking after the running of the parochial hall had stepped down and the parish priest appealed for parishioners to come forward to establish a hall committee. “However, shortly afterwards, professional advice was given on the potential of joining the sale of the parochial hall and adjoining land to the sale of the former parochial house, which has been on the open market since 2016,” he continued.

“During this time, the parish engaged in a process of consultation to seek the views of all parishioners on the proposal to sell the parochial hall, the land to the rear and the parochial house on Castle Street.

“All parishioners were informed through parish bulletins and directly within parish liturgies across a number of weeks. This consultation process ended on Friday, June 21.

“The Diocese of Down and Connor can confirm that a number of submissions were received as part of this process of consultation and the Trustees will now review these submissions before arriving at a decision around the future of the parochial properties.”

The spokesman said proceeds from the combined sale of properties would contribute to addressing the current parish debt, which was in the region of £240,000.

He said the sale would also enable the parish to allocate funds for a new pastoral facility and address other parish improvements.

He added: “In disposing of any property, the parish is legally obliged to follow the legislation as outlined in the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 which establishes the legal framework around the management and sale of any properties held in trust, establishes conditions around the sale of properties to be divested, and details other terms of sale to ensure that the disposition of the property, held in trust, is carried out in accordance with the best interests of the charity.”