The decision to put the Mansefield glebe in Beith up for sale was originally taken in 2011 and was not taken lightly.

The local trustees of the Church of Scotland concluded that continuing to own it is no longer in the best interests of the parish church or the local community, which has a requirement for more housing.

The decision to sell the land has been reconfirmed over the years.

The ongoing burden of glebe insurance costs, expense of erecting new fences and tree maintenance costs makes clear that is it no longer sustainable to own.

The parish church has maintained the glebe at its own expense for many years and unfortunately the income from the farm show and carving events is not sufficient to cover costs.

Church membership has declined over the past ten years and the Kirk Session has to draw money from reserves to balance the books every year and they are currently at a minimum level.

If the land was leased to a farmer, the ground would likely not be available to dog walkers at all for a variety of reasons such as dog mess potentially being a danger to livestock.

The North Ayrshire Council development plan allows for 608 houses in the Garnock Valley area with a further 932 until 2029. 

Beith is designated as a local town centre in the plan and more housing would arguably help support vital local services.  

When a housing developer makes a planning application, it goes through a rigorous democratic local authority process with input from statutory bodies responsible for civic areas of society and the public are invited to make comments. 

The money received for the land, if the application to build new housing secures planning consent, will be used to support local parish ministry.

The church has faithfully served the town for centuries and its primary focus is to worship the Lord and spread the Good News of Jesus Christ in word and deed.

The building continues to be at the heart of the community and is well used by a wide variety of groups and for key events throughout the year and everyone is welcome.