The dream of creating a £50 million Perth hotel to rival Gleneagles may be killed off next week, despite claims it could create hundreds of jobs.
Ambitious plans for an “iconic” and “unique” luxury 300-bedroom hotel overlooking the Tay at Kinfauns have been in existence for more than a decade.
Insurmountable hurdles now appear to be in its path, however, including the presence of the same underground pipeline that brought an end to T in the Park at Balado.
A new generation of councillors and council officials have grown increasingly concerned by the impact the vast resort would have upon the landscape and surrounding communities.
They have also become impatient with the applicant’s apparent inability to address a lengthy list of conditions imposed years ago.
Senior council officials have now recommended that elected members withdraw any Perth and Kinross Council backing for the hotel plan, which gained outline planning consent in December 2007.
Back in 2004, when details of the plan were unveiled, developer JWK Properties said it was aiming “at the top end of the market”.
They promised an experience “surpassing” the Sheraton in Edinburgh, Glasgow’s Hilton or Gleneagles, which hosted this year’s Ryder Cup.
Speaking to The Courier this week, a spokesman for the firm said it remained committed to the plan and would fight refusal in the belief that the development will unlock Perth’s economic potential and create in excess of 325 full-time jobs.
In 2007, councillors backed an early version of the plans on the grounds that they could bring major economic benefits to Perth and the surrounding area, in terms of jobs and tourism.
A laundry list of conditions were attached to that outline permission and significant negotiations took place before the development resurfaced in 2011.
An environmental statement was submitted to the council in March this year but planning officials have decided that a combination of safety and visual concerns and lack of progress on meeting the conditions should now bring the matter to an end.
It is considered the hotel, and its extensive car park in particular, has “health and safety implications” as they would be too close to the Shell St Fergus to Mossmorran NGL and BP Forties pipelines that run beneath parts of the site.
Back in 2004, the proposals were given a cautious welcome by the then Perthshire Tourist Board which said Perth city had “a limited stock of four-five star accommodation” a situation that still exists today.
Should it take shape, the venture would offer everything expected of a five-star hotel on a grand scale and a whole lot more.
Included in the proposals are a selection of fine dining and drinking venues, several bars and a health suite, together with a vast two-storey exhibition and conference centre.
There would also be a suite of offices for the use of long-stay business guests and a theatre in which up to 600 diners could enjoy spectacular cabaret shows.
Meanwhile, ponds, wetlands, formal gardens, tree-lined avenues, path and cycle networks and a formal croquet lawn would adorn the grounds of the 8.4-hectare site.
The report and the recommendation for refusal of any approval relating to the erection of a hotel on the site will go before the development management committee on Wednesday.
Ahead of that meeting, a spokesman for JWK Properties said: “Perth’s economic potential is being held back because of the lack of a large five-star hotel.
“The proposed hotel and ancillary facilities have the potential to generate direct as well as indirect wealth into Perth.
“The project will create 325 full-time (direct) and 510 (indirect) new jobs and training opportunities during its operation period for local residents.
“It will also help to stimulate business for Perth’s existing hotels and businesses as it will bring in a significant number of visitors of high spend potential.”
The developers also believe their plan will support hundreds of construction jobs and, once complete, provide facilities for use by residents and visitors alike.