A Dundee residents group is hoping lottery funding will end a 10-year wait to knock down a vacant church.
The Craigiebank Association want to raze Craigiebank Church and replace it with a new building, if it can secure cash for the project.
The association believe that a purpose-built centre on the site of the church which is no longer in use and is in a “bad state of repair” could be used for leisure activities, meetings, youth groups and office space.
But due to the cost of the project, which is estimated to be around £2 million, they have been forced to put off their plans for the past 10 years while trying to get funding.
The group are now trying to gauge community support for the project to allow them to make an application to the Big Lottery Fund.
Chairwoman Kathleen Mands said: “We’re hoping to get enough people interested in this. If there’s no community support for this then we wouldn’t feel it’s a viable project and we’d look at different approaches.
“For example, the church could stay and we could look at extending the church halls instead.”
The Craigiebank Association own the church halls but not the church itself, which is the property of the Church of Scotland.
The group would need to purchase it before they could knock it down and build the community centre.
Judith McMurray, a member of the association, said: “We have all the plans in place but obviously they cost money. We already use the church halls, there are youth groups, Scottish country dancing, Brownies and Guides holding meetings there.
“We would like to extend this and make it possible for more individuals and groups to rent community space.
“We have made a preliminary application to the Big Lottery Fund and we’ve been told that we need to demonstrate there is strong community support for the project.
“That’s why we’re holding an open meeting where people can view the detailed plans for the development and ask questions.”
The meeting will take place on Saturday, from 2pm, in Craigiebank Church Hall, Carlochie Place.
The Big Lottery Fund said it is unable to comment on individual cases.