Permission will be sought from the ratepayers at a meeting on 24 September to sell the building, which is currently not fit for human habitation.
Senior constable Dave Beausire said the rectory needed substantial investment of more than £150,000 to improve and maintain it over the coming years, which will fall on the ratepayers of the parish with heavily increasing rates.
‘If we do not get approval to sell the rectory, then we are left with no choice other than to increase rates for the work needed to make it safe and inhabitable, which is not something we are comfortable with,’ he said.
For the past five years, the parish has been working on minimising the burden on ratepayers to maintain its property.
‘We have gone a long way in doing this with the Parish Hall refurbished at 60% less than we were quoted due to a lot of free labour given by Douzaine volunteers. We wish to continue this work with the remaining property and removing the burden of the old rectory is the next stage,’ said Mr Beausire.
If permission is granted and a sale successfully achieved, the parish will look to invest in a new property for its rector to be housed in until the end of 2029.
‘Thereafter, we would look to rent the property and return the funds through the remede to the ratepayers, while owning a property that will require little maintenance,’ he said.
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