A PASSIONATE heritage campaigner has hit out at church bosses for deciding to sell the historic Old West Kirk in Greenock on the open market.

Retiring councillor Ciano Rebecchi says that he and a number of other interested parties got together around six years ago and held meetings with representatives from the Greenock Presbytery regarding the possibility of leasing the building on the Esplanade as a community asset.

The group then had meetings with the Scottish Redundant Churches Trust with a plan drawn up to lease the church from them for community use, but it never came to fruition.

The Old West Kirk was authorised by Royal Charter and was the first Presbyterian church to built in Scotland following the Reformation.

The church was moved brick by brick from its original waterfront site to the present one, re-opening there in 1928.

In recent times it has been one of three Lyle Kirk buildings in the town's west end following mergers.

The Kirk says the Church of Scotland cannot afford to hold on to it any longer, but Councillor Rebecchi fears that the commercial sale could endanger a piece of Greenock's heritage.

He told the Telegraph: “I am not happy that this church is being offered for sale on the open market.

"This is all to do with pounds, shillings and pence.

"If a developer buys it, they are not looking for a monument, they want to make money.

"We wanted to protect the church and the building as it is part of the history of Greenock.

"We hit a brick wall – we heard nothing and then the minister said it had always been for sale.

"Why weren’t we told we were wasting our time?"

The A-Listed church was amalgamated with Finnart St Paul’s and Ardgowan Church in 2011 and is no longer used for worship but is a popular landmark attraction each summer with visiting cruise line passengers, who are fascinated by its history.

A Church of Scotland spokesman said: “A decision was made around 10 years ago to release Old West Kirk as an active place of worship following a union to form Lyle Kirk.

“Since then every effort has been made in good faith to ensure that this historic building is transferred to a party with the desire and means to ensure that it remains open and accessible to the community.

“Maintaining this A-listed building is not financially viable for the local church and office bearers have been up front with people who have enquired that there are limitations to what it can be used for due to its status.

“They are committed to holding discussions with any interested party with a viable, sensible and sensitive business plan which respects the historic significance of the building and preserves it.”