Last week’s decision by councillors to back demolition of Perth City Hall to replace it with a civic square has provoked a furious public backlash.
With the final say now resting with Historic Scotland, opponents of demolition are calling for a concerted effort to convince the heritage body that this is the wrong path to take.
Former Perth man Derek Jackson, who now lives in Edinburgh but who attended the council meeting on Wednesday, said: ”I think it is now time for a consolidated approach to the problem with a deputation to Historic Scotland and the Scottish Parliament in order to defeat this half-baked plan to create an empty windswept square which has no relevance to the history of Perth.
”Four speakers gave very good reasons and issues against the demolition as opposed to the woolly, pie-in-the-sky defence of the plan.”
Mr Jackson took issue with assertions made by the council’s depute chief executive Jim Irons that the proposal would reinvigorate the town centre by providing valuable open space for events.
”I cannot see for the life of me why people would come to stare at an empty square especially in the middle of a Scottish winter, and how many jobs would be created by having a square?” said Mr Jackson.
”It will create a forlorn, windswept square where alcohol will be consumed either by special licence or otherwise by people with alcohol problems, so I cannot see how it will improve these settings.”
Mr Jackson backed a suggestion that the Edwardian, B-listed building could be used as a new, improved museum for Perth.
”Used as a museum, the city hall would attract people with an interest in the town and as a museum would be open seven days a week as opposed to an event in the open square which would only be used once in a while and certainly not every day or week.”
Vivian Linacre, a long-term opponent of demolition of the city hall, said the council’s argument was far from won.
He added: ”The development control committee meeting on Wednesday morning was a charade, conducted on strict party lines the SNP group forcing through approvals of the officials’ reports in favour of demolition and formation of a new square, in face of opposition from a few brave spirits in the Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem ranks.
”The listed building consent application will be referred to Historic Scotland, whose recommendation will go before the responsible Scottish minister for a final decision, but the danger is that refusal by Historic Scotland may still be overturned by the minister.”
Mr Linacre, who has been involved with a recent proposal for a retail usage for the hall, claimed the council was in ”terror that some viable alternative proposal might stand in the way of their plan to turn the city centre into a huge archaeological and construction site for three years or more, while many more shops and businesses close, with the realistic prospect of a negligible return.”
Jim Stewart from Scone said he ”strongly objected” to the demolition of the hall.
”The city hall is a historic listed building and should have been kept in use over the years, being hired out and used for various events and functions,” he said. ”This would have brought revenue into the council and its surrounding area.”