The battle to save Perth City Hall from demolition is to be fought out by two rival bidders.
The council has confirmed that three of the five rescue plans on the table have fallen at the first hurdle though one unsuccessful project say they will be appealing directly to Historic Scotland to rejoin the race.
A spokesperson for the council said, while they wouldn’t reveal which plans had made it to the next round, that only two were now in the running.
“These proposals have been evaluated by independent commercial property expert Jones Lang Lasalle, who have concluded that three of the bids are noncompliant with the specific guidelines outlined as part of the marketing process,” they said.
“These proposals will not be progressed any further.
“We can confirm that the remaining two bids will progress to the next stage of the assessment process.
“The guidelines for bids were very specific about the requirements any proposal for Perth City Hall would have to meet; if any these requirements have not been met in the proposals, they have been deemed to be noncompliant.”
Who is behind the remaining two bids is unclear but it appears that the proposal for a luxury hotel is one of them.
Simon Wilson, of the Seventy Group, who is bringing forward the hotel project, said the council had told him that only the unsuccessful bidders had been informed at this stage.
“We have not been contacted,” he said.
The only other known bid from the initial five was for a market food hall but no one was available yesterday to shed light on whether they had made it through to the final two.
One plan which was been judged to be noncompliant is that of nightclub owner John Bryden, who envisaged converting the lesser city hall into 26 student bedsits and retaining the hall as a community asset.
Former council planner Denis Munro, who has been assisting Mr Bryden with the bid, said they felt that their wish to purchase the building had ruled them out but pledged they would be going directly to Historic Scotland to state their case.
“Defiantly and wrongly they (the council) have insisted in making the hall available only for lease,” said Mr Munro.
He said that this was in contravention of Historic Scotland’s own guidelines and that they would be taking the matter up with the heritage body as soon as possible in an effort to resurrect their plan.
Councillor Alexander Stewart said that whatever the outcome of the marketing process, demolition was looking a less-likely option as time goes on.
“The facts are that as many people want to save the historic building as want to see it demolished and if there is a credible, viable and sustainable proposal, then it must be fully evaluated and considered,” he said.
“Feelings continue to run high in the Fair City for the halls to be maintained and retained, with many believing that unless we act now, it will be demolished and replaced with a failing piazza.
“The halls have survived two World Wars and are seen as an irreplaceable part of Scotland’s heritage.
“I do not believe that Historic Scotland will ever let Perth and Kinross Council demolish the building.”
Councillor Archie MacLellan said: “If one or more of these bids is shown to have a strong or even compelling business case then we must give serious consideration to it and demolition may not be the answer.
“Even if none of the bids match up, if Historic Scotland continue to refuse to allow demolition then we as a council must come up with a use for the hall.”