Perth City Hall to be revisited by Perth and Kinross Council

Dec 4 2009 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

THE future of Perth City Hall goes back under the spotlight on December 16.

Perth and Kinross Council is assessing a wide-ranging report from specialist property company Locum Consulting.

The local authority was making no comment yesterday but the PA understands Locum have weighed-up a range of options and their eagerly-awaited report will be debated by councillors seeking a resolution to the saga.

If an agreement can be reached in the Chambers this month, the public will again be invited to have their say.

Back in September, the council ended their drawn-out relationship with would-be developers Wharfside.

An arts-based project had come forward belatedly and it was deemed to be too far removed from the original speciality shopping complex that had been anticipated.

It’s believed Locum have assessed a broad range of potential uses for the long vacant building in the heart of the city.

However, full and partial demolition are viable options –- although blitzing the listed building would also require consent from Historic Scotland.

Up to 10 options are understood to have been on the table, including shopping, a hotel, apartments and even agricultural-orientated usage for the site.

With Perth 800 celebrations in the pipeline, and city status in the council’s longer sights, the politicians are keen to move the issue forward.