Story updated 5 December with council saying it is not aware of a housing project.
Owners of the crumbling Uniting Church on the corner of Barkly St and Harker St say the land may be used for a State housing project.
Two weeks ago a temporary security fence was erected around the abandoned church by Hume Council to keep vandals and troublemakers out.
A spokesperson for Uniting Church says: “The church building is located on land which is leased to a housing division of the Victorian State Government, the lease has been in place for many years.
“It was originally anticipated that the church would be maintained and improved for use by the government tenant to serve as a housing complex and/or the wider community. The Uniting Church has not had any operational involvement with the church for decades.”
The spokesperson says Uniting Church members are working with Hume Council and the government housing department to see if the land can be used “…to provide additional housing for people in need”.
“We anticipate that this conversation may take some time to resolve, and accordingly we will work with all parties to preserve a safe environment in the interim,” says the church spokesperson.
Hume Council says it is not aware of any housing proposal on the site of Uniting Church.
Last week Hume Council described the building as ‘dilapidated’, adding that it is “…frequently the target of vandals”.
The National Trust says the church is distinguished by its unusual combination of early English pointed Gothic windows.
See our earlier report here.
