The community bid for St Stephen’s Church has failed ... but perhaps in a good way.
Very late last night, the St Stephen’s Playfair Trust (SSPT) contacted supporters with news that its £505,000 offer had been beaten (Breaking news, 21.2.14).
‘We understand that a higher offer has been accepted from an “individual” who apparently has a charitable trust and intends the present usage to continue.’
It’s good news at one level. But completely uninterpretable at another.
SSPT says it hopes to contact the buyer soon to explore some form of partnership. No kind of conversation can start until missives have been exchanged:
‘It is incredibly disappointing that our plans have been knocked back,’ says an SSPT spokesperson, ‘but, hopefully, all is not lost. We would love to hear from you if you have any life-changing solutions to this situation!’
At present, the situation is too fluid and too 'mysterious' to permit of definitive analysis.