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Taxpayers may foot £470k bill to demolish former Perth pub after council’s planning refusal

The former Clachan Bar and Quality Cafe on Methven Street, Perth.
The former Clachan Bar and Quality Cafe on South Methven Street, Perth. Image: Urban Plan Consultants.

Taxpayers may be hit with a £470,000 bill to remove a condemned building in Perth city centre after the council refused a plan for its demolition.

Perth and Kinross planners have turned down Tariq Fayez’s application to remove 10-12 Methven Street, previously the site of the Clachan Bar.

Earlier this year the council issued a dangerous building notice on the structure and ordered its destruction.

In last month’s environment, infrastructure and economic development committee meeting, councillors approved a £470,000 grant from Scottish Government’s place based investment fund (PBIP) to ground the property and neighbouring 14 Methven Street, formerly Quality Café.

But this outlay could have potentially been avoided had officers accepted Mr Fayez’s scheme.

Hotel’s ‘potential for noise’

It is the latest occasion that the applicant’s vision for the site has been snubbed, after his hotel proposal was refused in June this year.

Mr Fayez wanted to replace 10-14 Methven Street with a four-floor hotel, featuring 27 bedrooms, a bar and restaurant.

In this instance, Perth and Kinross Council refused due to the absence of both a conservation area application and noise impact assessment.

The decision notice added: “There is potential for noise from the daily operations of the hotel, musical entertainment and from fixed plant which could disturb residential amenity.”

In July 2021 a similar application was refused by councillors.

‘Concerning’ lack of detail

The latest application only requested demolition and this was similarly deemed unacceptable.

The former Clachan Bar and Quality Cafe.
The back of the former Clachan Bar and Quality Cafe on Methven Street, Perth. Image: Urban Plan Consultants.

The council’s decision report said: “It would not be possible to demolish 10-12 South Methven Street without significant damage to 14 South Methven Street.

“The dangerous buildings notice requires the demolition of 10-12 and 14 South Methven Street, reflective of the interdependency of the buildings, but the demolition of the latter is not proposed as part of this submission.

“It is therefore understood that should the former Clachan Hotel be demolished this would have severe structural implications on the former Quality Cafe.

“The applicant has been asked to explain how the demolition of the former Clachan Hotel could be undertaken without impacting on the integrity of the interlinked building, but no response has been received.

“The lack of detail on this is concerning.”

New mobility hub?

Mr Fayez’s supporting statement had argued for “redeveloping the site for the safety of people and enhancement of the area.”

But the council is now set to demolish the building itself using Holyrood money.

Officers reported in the environment committee papers: “The eyesore building is having a damaging effect to the economic wellbeing of surrounding businesses and creates a negative perception of the city centre.

“The site has limited development potential and assessment suggests there is no commercially viable solution and public intervention is required.

“Estimated costs and values also suggest that cost recovery will be challenging but may assist negotiations on acquisition.

“The medium-term aspiration for the cleared site will be to deliver public benefit through creation of greenspace or potentially a mobility hub.”

Conversation