Fresh planning permission is being sought to demolish Craigiebank Church, which the Church of Scotland said is no longer financially viable to maintain.

The General Trustees, the property holding arm of the Church of Scotland, have written in support of the application.

“The building has suffered from deterioration over a number of years due to serious water ingress resulting in major damp and rot issues,” a representative of the group said in support of the application.

They added that each congregation is responsible for the upkeep of its buildings, something they say has proved “beyond the capabilities of the Kirk Session both in financial and personnel terms”.

It added: “Other areas which require attention and which would be prohibitively expensive include major repairs to the tower.

“In effect, the building in general is beyond economic repair despite the best efforts of the congregation and is now a serious burden for them to deal with.”

Built in the 1930s, the B-listed building consists of the church cruciform and an adjoining church hall – both of which would be demolished.

A report by architect Michael O’Donnel on behalf of the Church of Scotland said there was “no option” but to clear the site.

The report added: “It is very much hoped that this application can be supported and that given its location, setting and neighbourhood that this attractive and prominent site can at a future date attract high calibre developers to propose a new meaningful future to this setting.”