St JOHN’S Church in Whitecraig has closed and is for sale on the open market at offers over £100,000.

Built in about 1950, the kirk, on Whitecraig Road, was the daughter church of St Michael’s Church at Inveresk, to which the congregation has been transferred.

A spokesman for the Church of Scotland said: “The Presbytery of Lothian, like all Church of Scotland presbyteries, is currently consulting on a draft mission plan to determine how limited resources should be allocated to congregations over a five-year period. It is a road map for a realistic new era of mission to ensure that the Church is fit for purpose to meet 21st-century needs.

“Under the draft plan, the long-term future of St John’s Church in Whitecraig was in doubt and a survey of the building concluded that it was no longer financially viable to maintain, not least because the boiler needed to be replaced. Office bearers took the decision to close the building as a place of worship and put it up for sale.”

Marketed by the Church of Scotland, the property is described as a “detached former church building, situated in its own garden grounds with vehicular access” and “presents an excellent purchase opportunity for a variety of buyers”. Constructed in a mixture of stone and brick, the building has an entrance vestibule, church hall, kitchen, two WC compartments and ancillary storage space.