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St STEPHEN'S – NO NEWS IS BAD NEWS

Submitted by Editor on

The St Stephen’s Playfair Trust (SSPT) shows unmistakeable signs of frustration with the prospective buyer of St Stephen’s Church. He or she is not talking to them.

Yesterday, in an email to SSPT supporters, it became clear for the first time that the Trust had already met the prospective buyer’s agent – one Philip Johnston – before its first public meeting to discuss a community bid for the church in February (Breaking news, 7.2.14).

We hear that Johnston’s client was initially ‘enthusiastic, and indicated a willingness to work with the Trust’. However, in the weeks since the Church of Scotland Trustees’ acceptance of the offer, SSPT’s relationship with Mr Johnston has cooled. He has been unwilling to communicate with the Trust, or to discuss his client’s vision for the church, a ‘very public place’ and beloved ‘architectural icon in the heart of Edinburgh’.

The SSPT is miffed, and, in superbly understated terms, last night expressed its displeasure as follows:

Missives have yet to be exchanged, and inevitably many ‘property’ issues have still to be resolved so until all these are cleared we can do little. But at the point of missive exchange, the right of pre-emption can still be realised by the Council, and if they feel that this might be wise, the St Stephen’s Playfair Trust is confident that, with its many supporters, it can back the Council’s offer, and move forward to save the church from what appears to be its privatisation, bringing about the community and cultural renaissance that the building deserves.

In other words, the SSPT is politely nudging the Council towards exercising its right to buy the former Burgh Church (Breaking news, 3.6.13). 


Back in April, Spurtle revealed the strong rumour circulating locally that St Stephen’s was being bought by a senior executive at Edinburgh-based games developer Rockstar North (Breaking news, 7.4.14). That rumour appeared to be confirmed last night when SSPT, normally a model of discretion, mentioned its understanding that the buyer lived locally and is ‘a multi-millionaire President of a vast video games empire’.

Will the prospect of having the property snatched from under their nose encourage this multi-millionaire to open constructive dialogue? We doubt it. They are under no obligation to talk to anybody until and unless they want to.

Meanwhile, on a mundane but practical level, SSPT makes clear that it has so far incurred £2,800 in solictor fees (establishing itself as a company and drafting its own bid for the property). It now seeks contributions to pay off that sum and establish a small fund in readiness for the ‘next, possible phase’.

Donations may be sent to the St Stephen’s Playfair Trust, St Ninian's Manse, Quayside Street, Edinburgh EH6 6EJ or by Internet banking: account name – St Stephen’s Playfair Trust; sort code – 80-11-05; account number – 00486440.

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St Stephens is out of running for says All Edinburgh Theatre: