Planning permission for a new hotel on the site of a former pub in Perth city centre has been rejected by councillors.
Permission in principle had been sought for the hotel, but the proposal fell at the first hurdle due to conservation concerns.
Officials cited the proposed demolition of existing buildings as one of the reasons for refusing the request.
A report said the proposal ran contrary to Perth’s local development plan because it required demolition of buildings which are “considered to be of value”.
It added that if approved the change would have an “adverse impact on the historic character and appearance of the conservation area”.
Building ‘at risk’
The buildings proposed for demolition include the Clachan public house on the ground floor and four flats.
The Clachlan pub site was placed on the buildings at risk register in 2012, and has been empty for a number of years.
Citing a preference for the retention and “sympathetic conversion” of existing buildings, officials said “insufficient supporting information” had been submitted to demonstrate the buildings were beyond practical repair at reasonable cost.
Developer Tariq Fayez had proposed building a five-story hotel on the site in indicative designs.
‘Inappropriate design’
Officials said the development is “likely to have an adverse impact on the setting of the adjacent listed buildings due to the inappropriate indicative design, scale and form of the proposed development”.
Despite rejecting the request, it was noted permission had been granted for demolition of the buildings previously.
“Planning permission was previously granted on this site for the demolition of buildings in 2007, extended in 2012, and then again in 2016,” a statement said.
“The most recent permission expired on 31st March 2017.”
The developer did not respond to a request for comment.
The site sits adjacent to a prominent former bank in the city, currently undergoing a £1m redevelopment plan.