FAQ’s
Please read our Frequently Asked Questions if you have a question about the project. If the answer is not here, please send your question in via our Contact page and we will try and post your question and our answer on this page.
Where is the funding coming from?
Funding applications for a condition report, a scoping study, a valuation, a structural report and an architectural concept plan have already been submitted. Until the church goes officially on sale and our SCIO (charitable status) goes through, we cannot apply for funding for the purchase of the building and the costs of converting the building into a community venue, function space and bunkhouse. Even when we do look for funding, we will also have to raise some funds ourselves, which we intend to do by putting on some fundraising events, and starting a Crowdfunder page.
How did the group come together?
There has been talk around Girvan since the South Parish Church closed down last year about what would become of it. At the same time, a number of conversations between individuals and groups highlighted that there was no town hall in Girvan, a sizeable venue which could be used for civic functions, performances, and weddings, etc, since the beach pavilion was closed down 15 years ago. As rumours of an imminent sale spread, Alan Jeans of the Girvan Arts Festival (an organisation which had used the church as a venue before), decided to put together a group of enthusiastic people with the skill set and determination to try and bring the church and its halls into community ownership. You can view brief biographies of everyone on the team here.
What is the organisation’s name?
We are now ‘The South’ a charitable organisation (SCIO) which will hopefully oversee the purchase and development of the project. A temporary unincorporated community group, ‘The South Parish Church Community Purchase Group’ was set up to apply for funding for the surveys, reports, and architectural advice that we needed before trying to purchase the church, to avoid delaying the process. This Group will continue to operate in parallel to the SCIO until the funding we have secured has been used, or transferred over from the The South Parish Church Community Purchase Group to the SCIO.
Our charity number is SC054786.
As residents, we’re worried that parking will be difficult once the venue is up and running. How do you intend to manage this?
At the planning stage of the project, there will be extensive consultations with the public, South Ayrshire’s planning department and Ayrshire Roads Alliance about traffic control and parking availability. We would hope that, as a local project, people would be inclined to walk to the venue if they can, but there is also a sizeable car park a couple of minutes’ walk away, beside the Quay Zone. Disability parking will be provided close to the venue.
We will also include directions to established car parks within walking distance in all promotion and booking info, and on our website.
For people living nearby, what about noise from performances or functions?
The South will be a professionally run venue with full time staff. We will be making the building as soundproof as possible and, as in similar venues in residential areas, we are looking at a sound-limiting system to try and reduce disturbance for residents.
Have you considered uses for the building other than as a venue / function space and bunkhouse?
We came to this project with the idea that Girvan needed an adaptable space that would be equivalent to a town hall, but with a higher technical specification, especially in the areas of lighting, vision and sound. As a group, that was our focus. The idea for the bunkhouse came from the need to make the project financially sustainable, and also because of a report commissioned by Go Girvan a few years ago. It found that Girvan had a shortage of visitor accommodation, especially at the lower end of the budget and for eco-tourism. As part of our public consultation, we will listen to any suggestion that would help the project, within the boundaries of our core vision.
What are The South’s aims and objectives?
You can find our aims and objectives here.
Why do we need another ‘Gathering Space’ in Girvan?
There are already some ‘gathering spaces’ in Girvan, but none of this size, or as unrestricted in what they can be used for. Some don’t permit alcohol or gambling (which would preclude charity race nights or bingo) and all are much smaller.
Wouldn’t the Church be ideal as a sports facility?
While we would welcome groups using the venue for sport, we set out on this project with the primary aim of giving Girvan a large multipurpose event space, so we wouldn’t be able to have any permanently installed sports equipment. It would be for other groups to put together proposals for completely different uses for the buildings.
Are you sure your plans for the building stack up?
Our initial task in the process is to find out if our vision is workable and is financially and environmentally sustainable. As part of this, Just Enterprise are helping us to do a scoping study, we are putting together a business plan for the project, and we are applying for funding to work with an architect to produce a concept plan to Riba stage 2. We will only go ahead if the project meets our sustainability objectives.
Will the trustees of The South earn any money from the project?
No. The trustees are all volunteers who have other jobs, or who help run other projects and organisations, and freely give up their time to deliver this project for Girvan.
Will the project provide employment opportunities in Girvan?
The Charity will eventually employ people to manage and staff the venue and the bunkhouse, and funding will be sought to employ a development officer who will oversee the planning and building phases of the project.
What are The South’s environmental aims?
We will strive to decarbonise the project. The church has a large south-facing roof, and funding is currently available for insulating buildings, double glazing, solar power and battery banks, along with air-source heat pumps which would all significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the project and also help its financial sustainability.
We will work with our environmental advisers to reduce our environmental impact across the whole project.
Would you consider potentially having co-working spaces in the building?
There will be meeting rooms of various sizes within the buildings so there may be the possibility of co-working spaces, but this will be looked at in detail at the architectural concept phase of the project.
Was there any public consultation about the proposed use of the building?
We have been talking with other groups and organisations in Girvan for the past year about what could be done with the South Parish Church. As a group, we came to the conclusion that a venue and functions space would be our preferred use for it. We held an open day to both inform the public and listen to their views, which included any possible uses for the building. The overwhelming message from the 300+ people who attended was that our proposal was the best use of the building.
What if I don’t agree with this idea?
If anyone has an alternative vision for the building, they are at liberty to put a group together with their proposal. The sale of the South Parish Church will be a public sale opened to any individual or group who wish to purchase it.
Who will own the building?
If the SCIO are successful, the charity will own the building.
Who will manage the project?
As trustees of the board of the charity, we will have the ultimate responsibility for the management of the project. We hope to employ a development officer to oversee the day-to-day development and running of the project.
How does a SCIO work?
A Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) is a legal structure for charitable organisations based in Scotland. A SCIO can enter into contracts, employ staff, incur debts, own property and sue or be sued. This structure is best suited to groups with charitable purposes who plan to own or lease property, employ staff and enter contractual arrangements and want the protection from liability that comes from being incorporated. A SCIO only reports to one regulatory body, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR)
The Charity’s Trustees (who are members of the Board) are overseen by OSCR, to whom the Trustees are ultimately answerable to. It should be noted that none of the Trustees may become employees of the Charity, unless in unusual circumstances and with the specific consent of OSCR. It would be the Board’s position that no Board members should ever become an employee.
Click here for further details about OSCR and SCIOs.
Why does The South need members?
The South’s legal structure is a two-tier SCIO so must have members. Anyone over 16 years old living in the Girvan area can apply to be a member, with the right to vote at the annual general meeting for key issues, including the election of Trustees.
We chose the two-tier model because we wanted The South to be as democratic as possible, and having as many members as possible also gives the organisation more credibility with funders.
Will the heritage of the South Parish Church be lost?
We aim to keep as much of the church’s heritage as possible – We will retain the war memorial plaque and all the windows where possible, although we will intend to install secondary double glazing for heat and sound insulation. As many features as possible will be kept, but the pulpit and the organ will have to be removed to make way for the stage and allow access to the new hall where the catering grade kitchen and the toilet block will be located. The pews will be removed and repurposed elsewhere in the building, for instance in the bunkhouse, or for tables.
We also intend to have information plaques telling the history of the South Parish installed in a prominent position.
What stake will the community have in the project going forward?
The community will in effect be the owners through the Board who will hold the charitable assets in Trust for the wider community. This a model, the SCIO, which is widely used in Scotland to hold assets, and is overseen and highly regulated by OSCR to ensure that the Charity Trustees act properly and in the interests of the community and in conformity with our Constitution. OSCR carefully examined our constitution before awarding us charitable status.
What is the difference between the Board Members and the Charity Trustees?
Basically all the Board Members are also Charity Trustees and this a requirement of the Charity Regulator ( OSCR).