Built in the late 1980s at a cost of £20 million, the St John’s Shopping Centre was once the bright new future of retail.
But Perth is not the only city now wondering if the march of the indoor mall kicked off the slow decline of the high street.
And nearly 40 years on, shoppers are being urged to imagine the city without it.
The Courier reported on a new consultants’ report earlier this week.
It suggests Perth City Council could turn back time and part-demolish the St John’s Shopping Centre.
This would open up the area around the new Perth Museum and make it more appealing to the public, say the authors.
And a series of other measures – including a new leisure experience in the empty Debenhams building and an indoor food market at the former McEwens store – are also up for debate.
Councillors will be asked to approve a consultation on the blueprint when they meet on Wednesday.
And then it will be over to the public to have their say.
But first, let’s hear from some of the Courier readers who responded to our story.
St John’s Centre re-think could be ‘just what Perth needs’
Commenting on The Courier website, Mabel says “They definitely need to do something.
“Glad it might be something radical – that is what Perth needs; a complete re-think.”
Another poster, calling themselves Consider This, writes: “Love the idea of getting rid of/opening up St. John’s. That would be fabulous.”
And a third reader, Louise, suggests going further still.
“Why keep the shops in front of the museum?” she asks.
“Open the area up completely to create a civic space with the museum and the Mercat Cross as the main features.”
Ian is another who thinks the St John’s Shopping Centre has had its day.
“It was quite good in 1988 and so was the music,” he writes.
“But it’s been tired for a long time and the shopping was certainly better before it was built.”
RM agrees: “I like the ideas behind this. Something definitely needs to be done to change Perth city centre and the access to it.
“The world has changed and shopping centres like the St John’s Centre are a thing of the past. Regeneration is the only way to go.”
Demolition not so straightforward
Not everyone approves.
One anonymous commenter writes: “The council that can’t afford to cut the grass verges in its area is considering projects that would cost tens of millions? Enough hot air to fill a balloon.”
And another urges the council to bear in mind the needs of ALL shoppers in any future plans for the city centre.
“If sensible disabled parking is not part of the plan – (especially) for those with limited mobility- we will continue to go elsewhere,” they say.
“The further away one has to park, the less walking will happen inside any venue.”
Council needs to go back to basics
The proposals attracted lots of attention on Facebook too.
Rob’s Homemade Tablet responded to the suggestion that the new open space could accommodate food and drink producers.
“Keep St John’s centre and open the old Debenhams as a home for individual Scottish crafters to sell their products on a monthly rent basis,” he writes.
“I make and sell homemade tablet, I can buy a street traders licence from the council for £250, however, you are not allowed to trade within the city centre.”
Dorothy Murray has the following advice for council bosses: “Open your eyes and look at all the abandoned buildings and spaces and utilise them first. Start with the basics for goodness sake.”
And Monika Baike agrees: “Removing partially will cause the shopping centre to close and people will lose jobs. Concentrate on empty buildings and don’t fix what isn’t broken.”
Janice Hopwood is another who says the council needs to go back to basics if it wants to fix Perth city centre.
“There’s nothing here to make people want to visit,” she writes.
“All we have are abandoned shops that once made a trip into town worthwhile. We’ve lost Debenhams, which contained other brands like Principles, Beales, Lakeland, The Body Shop, New Look and other smaller retailers.”
Dismissing Perth parking as “expensive and rubbish,” she adds: “I often drive further afield for somewhere decent rather than come into town.”
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