Church sell off continues as Anglican’s fill redress coffers

The Anglican Church is about halfway through its property sell-off with churches, rental properties, rectories and even cemeteries moving into new hands. SEE WHAT’S STILL AVAILABLE >>

Tasmanian Anglican Bishop Richard Condie inside the St Lukes Church at Latrobe. PICTURE CHRIS KIDD

ABOUT half of the 73 properties the Anglican Church listed to sell to fund its $8 million redress commitment have already moved into new hands.

Another vacant parcel of land, at Rosebery, is under contract and a church at Lilydale has recently sold for $157,500.

Only one of the properties sold so far, St John’s at Franklin, has had a cemetery attached.

So far, 18 churches have been sold along with four rectories, a couple of rental properties, a cottage at Spring Beach, a play centre, a church hall which was being used as a post office at Avoca and seven parcels of vacant land.

The Church of the Ascension at Lilydale has recently sold.

Under the Burial and Cremations Act cemeteries cannot be purchased by an individual but rather by a perpetual trust and all sales must be advertised.

It is understood one, attached to the Church of the Nativity at Bishopsbourne could soon move into the hands of a local progress association.

The almost 40 properties remaining on the for sale list, including St Barnabas Church and hall at South Arm and St Mark’s at Cressy will go to market progressively over the next two to three years.

In December, 2018, the church’s Tasmanian Diocesan Council agreed to sell property to fund its Redress Scheme bill.

Fighting funds were established by communities across Tasmania as they tried to save their Anglican churches from being sold on the open market.

St Stephen’s parish in Penguin, was successful and the church bells continue to ring each Sunday in the North West town.

“We raised the $85,000 or so needed through the sale of a residential property in town which once housed our rector — a rector we can no longer afford,’ parish board chairman Ken Knight said in late 2018.

The original list of 107 properties was scaled back by a third in the face of community protest with Bishop Richard Condie saying its Redress Bill, to compensate the victims of sexual abuse within the church, could still be fully funded.

“We recognise that our church buildings are important places and hold significant value to the community,” Bishop Condie said at the time.

“Similarly we understand and respect how important access to cemeteries is for Tasmanians, especially in rural areas.”