FANCY buying a £1 million listed house...just to give it away?

That was the question posed by councillors at a Prestbury parish meeting as they toyed with finding a hero to buy the beleaguered Ford House.

Closed down after insurers declared the roof unsafe, the much-loved grade one listed village hub was last week put on the market by it owners, the Parochial Church Council.

But at their meeting, councillors wondered whether a well-wisher could stump up the cash to buy the property – and then give it back to the village.

As unlikely as such a solution may seem, the millionaire playground of Prestbury is a good place to start the search for a knight in shining armour (paying attention, Wayne Rooney?).

If a benevolent benefactor does NOT step in to purchase the property from Meller Braggins, in Wilmslow, before the tender deadline at midday on February 21, it will probably be snapped up by a developer set on "improving" the historical site.

Carol Hamilton, chairman of the parish plan steering committee, who says they have received a lot of feedback about the building, said: "We can see from our questionnaire results that the building is definitely a concern.

"Surely if someone – or a group of people – could buy it to give it back to the community that would be a solution. And in Prestbury I would imagine there are people willing to do it."

Councillor Richard Comber said: "Someone may be willing to buy the asset and do it up and give all or some of it back to the community. The problem is finding these people."

Councillors also considered the option of getting a loan from Macclesfield Borough Council.

Coun Don Goulsbra said: "We are a parish council and I don’t think we should just stand by. We must pursue every avenue available."

Coun Comber concluded: "I don’t think we have enough information to make this decision and go all out to raise money to buy the building."

In a recent newsletter, the Parochial Church Council chairman for St Peter’s, Jim Leonard, described the decision to put Ford House on the market as "one of the most difficult decisions" they had ever had to make.

He said: "I don’t know if we have any offers yet, as it has only just gone on the market.

"It is a sad situation for a number of reasons. It’s been used as part of the village and part of the church for many years and, because of closure, the church has struggled for space.

"We are finding that difficult, but we are exploring various options as to how we might resolve that in due course."

 Would you like to buy Ford House? If so, contact the Macclesfield Express on 01625 424445.

Options for replacement facilities at St Peter’s Church will be discussed on Saturday, February 23, and Sunday, February 24, in the church.