MORE than a century’s-worth of Port Glasgow history is set to be wiped out after plans were approved to demolish a former church in the town’s derelict Clune Park estate.

The category B listed building, on Robert Street, will be knocked down as part of a wider redevelopment scheme for the rundown area.

An application was submitted last month to remove the church, which dates back to the early 1900s, following decades of neglect, vandalism and fire-raising incidents.

Restoration of the building was considered no longer economically viable and planning chiefs have now granted consent for its demolition.

A decision notice states: “The decay to the envelope is such that major structural elements are failing to the point of collapse, posing significant risk to the public.

READ MORE: Application to demolish derelict church which poses 'significant risk to public'

“Any unauthorised access to the building risks personal injury.

“While the loss of this building is regrettable, Historic Environment Scotland are content that one of the considerations set out in national policy for the demolition of listed buildings is applicable.”

A similar application to demolish the adjacent former Clune Park Primary School was also lodged recently.

The church was served with a dangerous building notice in May and some demolition work has already been undertaken by hand.

The local authority purchased the building at auction around five years ago.