The disused site of a former medical centre in Alexandria could be sold to become a new congregational hall for Jehovah’s Witnesses.


The vacant lot on Bank Street is subject to a bid from the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain – the business and acquisitions arm of the Jehovah’s Witnesses denomination of the Christian faith.


The organisation’s bid, which values the town centre site at £165,000, will be considered by members of West Dunbartonshire Council’s infrastructure, regeneration and economic development committee at a meeting on Wednesday.


The former medical centre was closed in December 2013 and demolished in August 2016, leaving behind 0.47 acres of vacant, undeveloped land.


After engaging in extensive marketing of the site between February and April of this year, the council was left with three options: leaving the site bare, renting it out on a long ground lease, or selling the heritable interest in the land.


Favouring simply leasing the land on a long term basis, due to the strategic positioning of the site in Alexandria town centre, it was marketed with long leasehold of 125 years at £1 per annum.


Ultimately, it was subject to two offers.


The higher of the two bids was rejected due to the party’s interest in buying out the heritable interest, and it has been recommended that the council approve the sale to the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The group, which plans to build a meeting hall, for congregational and public use, subject to planning permission, already leases property from the council on Poplar Road in Dumbarton.


According to a report to Wednesday’s committee meeting, the proposed sale would allow the Jehovah’s Witnesses to replace their Dumbarton facility, freeing up the Poplar Road site “for further commercial benefit to the council area” as a whole.