Pigeon droppings could be holding up the £1 million transformation of a dilapidated city centre building.
New plans for St Paul’s Church in Perth reveal that engineers cannot enter the property until the “hazardous” product is removed.
The B-listed building has lain empty for decades and birds have made their home there. Although attempts were made to get rid of the pigeons and decontaminate the interior, the feathered pests have returned.
As a result, many of the internal fittings of the church are “heavily contaminated” and need to be completely stripped out before it is safe to work in.
This has meant that the vision for a restaurant in St Paul’s is progressing slower than anticipated and it could take at least a year to bring it up to standard.
Owner Arengate Ltd has now submitted an application to Perth and Kinross Council to carry out the necessary repairs, which unveils the true extent of work required.
Hugh Crawford, an architect with Sir Frank Mears Associates Ltd, the firm behind the plans, described the interior as being in “poor condition”.
He said: “The interior of the building has been badly affected by pigeons and water ingress has led to outbreaks of wet and dry rot.
“Internally, the building is in such poor condition that it will need to be cleared out completely, back to the stone walls.
”It is proposed that some enabling works will be carried out to allow the extent of the restoration to be accurately assessed. These internal investigations cannot be carried out until the building interior has been decontaminated.”
Meanwhile, the upper gallery has become “unsafe” and the roof is completely irreparable.
A detailed report suggests that it be removed and replaced with a steel structure, although the original slates would be salvaged as far as possible for reuse.
The new roof would also be a replica of the existing one, although it is hoped that the cupola could be made bigger to allow more natural light into the building.
Mr Crawford revealed in his plans that the upper section of the spire, which is in a hazardous condition, would be rebuilt and that they would reinstate bartizans, wall head castellation and other missing stone features.
“General repairs can then be carried out for the making good of the stonework, as per the engineers report,” he added. Test panels carried out by Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust have shown that much of the visual damage caused by previous epoxy mortar repointing is only skin deep.
“The intent is to descale and repoint with lime mortar and all work will be carried out with good conservation practice and Historic Scotland’s technical advice notes.”
Designed in 1799 by architect John Paterson and built in 1807, St Paul’s Church has been the subject of various unsuccessful proposals over the last 25 years.
A previous plan by pub chain JD Wetherspoon to turn it into a bar fell by the wayside in 2008 when the estimated cost proved too much. Since being bought by Arengate Ltd in 2010, however, the refurbishment has taken a significant step forward.
Mr Crawford told The Courier his client had “committed himself” to the restoration but grant funding was being sought to ensure the project, which it is estimated will cost more than £1 million, is completed.
“We hope that we will be able to get started by autumn but that all depends on the availability of grant money,” he added.