JUST a decade ago it was bought for £600,000 but now a former church in the centre of Dunfermline is up for auction with a guide price of £99,000.

The Yes U Are Partnership's plans to turn the Erskine Building on Pilmuir Street into a multi-purpose community hub and venue collapsed and it reverted back to the owners, the Alfred Stewart Property Foundation, who put the property up for sale.

Shepherd Chartered Surveyors, which has a branch in Dunfermline, put it up for auction on February 22 with a guide price of £230,000, and while there was some interest no acceptable bids were received.

Dunfermline Press: Auction House Scotland say the old church still has original features, including large stained glass windows. Auction House Scotland say the old church still has original features, including large stained glass windows. (Image: Contributed)

Now the category B-listed building, parts of which are more than 220-years-old, is on the site of Auction House Scotland and will go under the hammer on March 21 with the price slashed to £99,000.

The firm is based in Paisley and the sales pitch on their website for the old St Andrew's Erskine Church reads: "A major programme of works is required, including extensive roof repairs, which is reflected in the highly competitive guide price.

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"A number of potential outcomes are available, including commercial multiple occupancy, residential development or hospitality.

"Any development would, of course, be subject to all required consents.

"The variety of development options, allied with the hugely attractive guide price, is sure to attract strong levels of demand.

Dunfermline Press: Prospective buyers of the Pilmuir Street property have been told that a major programme of works is required. Prospective buyers of the Pilmuir Street property have been told that a major programme of works is required. (Image: Shepherd Chartered Surveyors)

"Early viewing is essential to appreciate the outstanding value and potential on offer."

It also says that the property enjoys a "prominent elevated position" and extends to more than 8,500 square feet over the ground floor and balcony levels.

The auction house added: "A number of original features are in place, including large stained glass windows, and some degree of internal works has been undertaken to form a number of separate rooms on the ground floor."

Parts of the building date back to 1798 and it was still a place of worship until 1998, when the Church of Scotland moved out.

It was briefly a children's soft play centre and remained empty and boarded up after Wetherspoon's shelved plans to turn it into a super-pub.

The partnership, a Christian charity, bought the church with the help of a family legacy in 2012 for £600,000.

In January the man behind the doomed purchase, John MacDonald, explained to the Press that a legal issue had hampered their plans to the point they'd had to hand the building back to the property foundation.