Century old Lasswade church hall to be replaced

The hall at St Leonard’s Church in Lasswade was built in 1914 to serve alongside the 19th century church.

However, it has become a thriving local community facility which is used on a daily basis for church events and by local groups.

Plans to replace the building with a new building, which will be created with community use in mind, have been lodged with Midlothian Council. The application to replace the hall with a new build reveals the original building was built in 1914.

It says: “Over the years, but even more so now, the hall has become a hub of activities and events taking place on a daily basis.

“These have ranged from business meetings to Boys’ Brigade and Guides’ events, playgroups, exercise and yoga classes, dancing, indoor sports, dog training and private birthday parties.

“There is a severe lack of affordable hall rental space in the locality, hence our own community hall being used every single day by the church and community alike.”

Concern about the state of the building itself has led to the application to create a new hall on the site, with plans to demolish the current one.

The application by the church for planning permission for the new hall says that while it has lasted well over more than a century, it has deteriorated over the last decade.

In the application, the church said: “The hall is no longer able to provide facilities that are now required – kitchen and toilet facilities are grossly inadequate, the structural stability of the building is now being questioned and there is no insulation in the hall.”

The planned new building, which will be set behind the church, which lies off Dobbie’s Road, will have a modern glass frontage but will be designed to complement the church itself. The plans are currently available to view on the council website.