Calling all renovators! Help raise this Charleston church from the dead
6 Mount View Road, Charleston. Supplied by Adcock Real Estate.
A Charleston property offers a great opportunity for keen buyers to start their own business in the Adelaide Hills by rolling up their sleeves and resurrecting a dilapidated church.
The former Charleston Uniting Church and Cemetary at 6 Mount View Rd, Charleston is currently on the market for just $220,000 through Adcock Real Estate and is being advertised as residential land, sitting on a spacious 1720sqm allotment.
The heritage-listed property is owned by the Uniting Church of South Australia and, according to the property’s realestate.com.au listing, “the Charleston Uniting Church and Cemetery’s local heritage importance means whatever development aspiration you have – be it a gallery, community facility, or a residential/Airbnb remodel – it must meet the restoration guidelines of the Adelaide Hills Council.”
The listing goes on …
“While the church will stay put, it is unsafe to enter or inhabit at present and will require a restoration of the highest order; any intention to add another dwelling, extend, or improve the site must also meet the Council’s planning approvals, and will be subject to the effect on its local heritage and community value.”
6 Mount View Road, Charleston. Supplied by Adcock Real Estate.
The property borders the Charleston Cemetary and has some burial graves on site.
The new buyers will be required to allow public access to the cemetery, and a neighbour right-of-way access to a shed via the property’s driveway.
Selling agent Nikki Seppelt said the property offered loads of potential for those prepared to think creatively.
“The council has advised us that they wouldn’t be supportive of removing the church, that their top priority is for a potential purchaser to repair and maintain that building,” Ms Seppelt said.
“What they’d be looking at with any application would be how it would affect the local heritage and community before any further development.
“There’s the potential there to create a gallery, or a gallery with a cafe, a studio, or something like that, that community groups might potentially be able to hire out.
“The people I’ve had the best conversations with are those looking to run it as a gallery or cafe style business.”
Ms Seppelt said future renovation work would be extensive, with many of the building’s ceilings having collapsed.
6 Mount View Road, Charleston. Supplied by Adcock Real Estate.
“The church needs to be gutted and the new buyer starting again – at the moment I can’t take people past the front door from a safety perspective,” she said.
“Someone with know-how or a builder can go up there and see what needs to be done, and anything that’s done is subject to council consent.
“There are the facilities there to create something really exciting and the area is really very sought-after at the moment.
“There’s loads of potential there for someone who can think outside the box.”
6 Mount View Road, Charleston. Supplied by Adcock Real Estate.
Ms Seppelt said the Adelaide Hills, particularly the towns surrounding Charleston – which include Woodside, Lobethal and Lenswood – were all seeing a surge in interest in recent months.
“Interest rates are low so buyers are active in the area and people are increasingly looking at our regional areas,” she said.
The property sits among rolling hills, award-winning wineries, cafes, bikeways, scenic drives, parks and recreational facilities and is just 40 minutes from the city via the freeway.
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