A new civic square in the heart of Perth could attract thousands of visitors to the city, MP Pete Wishart believes.
The MP for Perth and North Perthshire says replacing city hall with a square the council’s preferred option could prove a catalyst to a growth in tourism.
However, another group, Perth City Market Trust, is advocating that the building be retained and converted into a market hall.
Historic Scotland is considering its stance on demolition of the city hall and will make a recommendation to Scottish ministers as to what course of action they should sanction.
Mr Wishart is in no doubt about what he thinks would be best for Perth following the decision to grant it city status.
”Already some people have started to assess what all this means to Perth,” he said. ”For me, the whole range of possibilities is immensely exciting but I think one of the most important things we can do is cement our position as a hub for outdoor events and conferences.
”In the county area we excel in outdoor pursuits, from white water rafting to hill walking and cycling to bungee jumping.
”We have one of Scotland’s finest concert halls, the Festival of the Arts and one of Europe’s biggest music festivals with T in the Park.
”We also have the possibility of the new civic square where we are only restricted by our imagination in the type of fun events we can bring to the city.
”If we can persuade Historic Scotland, we would have about the only road-free inner city square in Scotland, which would allow us to attract any number of fantastic fun events.
”I would hope that there would be concerts, comedy, drama performances, civic events, New Year parties, farmers’ markets and craft fairs the list is endless.”
He added: ”The alternative is having an empty building sitting forlornly for the next five to 10 years as the latest unfunded and ill thought out proposal is considered and ultimately rejected as unfeasible.
”We have a fantastic opportunity to promote ourselves and carve ourselves out as being unique amongst the ranks of Scotland’s cities.”
Historic Scotland says it will make a decision in the ”near future” but it looks unlikely this will be before the council elections on May 3.