He listened in stunned silence as councillor after councillor lined up to torpedo his bid to preserve Perth City Hall for future generations.
They told him that Perth City Market Trust’s proposal for a modern market hall and restaurant was riddled with holes and unfundable.
Respected developer Vivian Linacre has, however, dedicated too much time and money to the project to simply walk away.
He believes Historic Scotland will once again block demolition of the hall not least because he is convinced that the council’s proposal for a city square is, itself, built on sand.
“The contrast between the nightmare of reality and the dream world occupied by the council and its supporters could not be better illustrated than by the artist’s impressions that paint visions of a square as vast as Piazza San Marco in Venice,” he told The Courier.
“Both of them are taken from the most flattering angle possible, focusing on the distant St John’s Church and concealing the miserable frontage on the south side.
“The width between the frontages of North and South St John’s Place is depicted (according to geometric analysis of the perspectives) as about 150 yards, roughly two-and-a-half times the actual distance.
“In the daytime picture, the sun blazes down on happy crowds composed exclusively of the young and beautiful, while in the wintry scene an ice rink, accommodating scores of skaters,occupies just one section the size of a football pitch at the Kirk end.
“This fantasy is typical of the council’s entire case.
“Councillors condemned the Perth City Market Trust for failing to provide a precise business case for a market hall yet happily swallow ludicrous and wholly imaginary figures for increases in visitors and economic benefits generated by the square without question.
“The only real questions are how much money would be lost by the events (such as an ice rink) visualised for the square, and by how much would expenditure exceed estimates. Already it is obvious that costs of diverting, stopping and replacingunderground services and utilities will overrun and that the archaeological implications of excavation could prove enormous, as much of the site lies over a mediaeval burial ground.
“Indeed, the City Halls will be demolished over my dead body and probably over many others.”
Perth and Kinross Council envisages the square playing home to a mix of activities, including markets.
More ambitious plans include an open air music festival and it would also become the hub for seasonal events, such as an Easter Fair, the Christmas lights and an ice rink.
Picture byAerial Photography Solutions