Restaurant “saves” Perth landmark

Feb 9 2010 by Andrew Welsh, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

A RESCUE plan unveiled yesterday could see a new restaurant being created at a notorious Perth landmark-turned eyesore.

Proposals for the renovation of the long-derelict St Paul’s Church in the Fair City’s Old High Street have been put forward by Indian restaurant firm Khushi.

Founded in 1947, the firm is Scotland’s oldest established Indian restaurateur and has outlets in Edinburgh and Dunfermline.

Khushi figurehead Islam Mohammed told the PA yesterday that he had recently acquired the crumbling kirk building, which was built in 1807.

But he stressed that no timescale for work at St Paul’s had yet been drawn up.

“Our plan is going to take some time,” said Mr Mohammed.

“We are in discussions with Historic Scotland to see how they think we can restore the building to its original structure.

“There are a lot of rules and regulations about what you can do with something like an old church.”

Mr Mohammed conceded that the dire condition of St Paul’s meant “a huge amount of work” was required.

“The building came to our attention a while ago,” he said.

“There’s been some complications so we had to take a back seat and let the council deal with the previous owner.

“We were planning to come to Perth anyway and it’s quite an attractive proposition for us.

“It’s something we want to get our teeth into but it’s a big, big project ahead, both internally and externally.

“It’s going to be laborious, but hopefully fruitful at the end of the day.”

The majority of the project’s funding will be provided by Khushi, but the developers also hope to receive grants to help pay for works.

“The costs will probably far outweigh the actual worth of the building,” said Mr Mohammed.

“In a sense, it’s not really an investment, but we need to ensure it’s a viable proposition.”

Mr Mohammed said he had “no idea” how much money would be required to bring the designated “at-risk” 19th Century building, which has lain unoccupied since the mid-Eighties, back to use.

His last foray into the Perth dining market ended disastrously in December 2008 when another of his restaurants in the Fair City’s Princes Street burned down.

“We are in the very early stages,” Mr Mohammed declared.

“Hopefully within the next few months we’ll know how much it will cost and when it will all start.”

Yesterday, Perth and Kinross Council leader Ian Miller welcomed the potential restoration of St Paul’s Church.

“I am pleased that the long-running issue of the future of St Paul’s Church has moved on positively with this announcement from Mr Mohammed,” he declared.

“The church has a significant position in the landscape of Perth city centre and it is important that it is protected and maintained in the years ahead.

“We look forward to hearing from Khushi’s about their plans for the redevelopment of St Paul’s.”