MEMBERS of a community group working to set up a village cafe, heritage centre and shop have been left “disappointed” after talks to agree a lease on the former Methodist chapel they planned to convert into the complex fell through.
However, they say the possible sale of the building does present a “positive opportunity” .
Members of the Cotherstone Old Chapel Project spent nine months negotiating for a lease on the former village chapel.
The community benefit society secured planning permission to make the changes to the building in December last year and raised £112,000, to be match funded through a share issue.
However, management team chairman Chris Tarpey confirmed the group had been unable to secure a long-term lease and the building will now probably be sold.
He said: “We thought the lease would be easy and we wouldn’t have to raise the money to purchase the chapel, but we spent nine months trying to arrange it to no end. The central Methodist headquarters said they couldn’t give us the long-term lease we were wanting.
“A five or ten-year lease is no use to us and they will now probably put it on the market hopefully in the near future. We will have to raise some more money to try to buy it,” he said.
Mr Tarpey added that the local Methodist circuit had been very supportive of the society’s ambitions, but the decision on the building’s future will be made by Methodist headquarters.
Mr Tarpey said: “Apart from raising the money if we can buy the chapel it will have more advantages for the project. It does make it easier if we own the building for funding and it gives security.
“The charity commission rules mean the church can’t sell it on the cheap, which does complicate it a bit. We can apply for more money from the government’s community funding which is due to open in June.”
At a fundraising pop-up Cafe Velo on Saturday when a bike mechanic was on hand to check over visitors cycles, he hinted at the possibility of reissuing shares.
He said: “If our members agree, we will reissue the share issue because the money we raise was based on renting and hopefully it may attract more investment with the added asset.
“It is a disappointment about the lease but it will open up new positive opportunities which we are investigating. The Methodist circuit meet late in June when they are probably going to make a decision, but it is out of our hands so we don’t know how long it will take to get on the market after that.”
Society member Joy Collier said: “In the end I think it will be better. The local Methodist trustees are very supportive of us and trying to work with us.”
