Would-be saviours of Perth City Hall have been told to prove the depth of their pockets or step aside.
In a confrontational statement, the council’s Tory group leader Mac Roberts appeared to paint potential developers as time-wasters. He suggested that they should put up a £100,000 bond to prove the seriousness of their intentions a proposal that would rewrite planning procedures.
And he also proposed that they be made to pay the fees of consultants employed by the council to scrutinise their plans.
The Perth City Market Trust, which still hopes to convert the Edwardian building into a food hall, and The Seventy Group, which is behind proposals for a Perth City Grand Hotel, have criticised the comments.
Each maintains it will be in a position to prove their finances within a matter of weeks, with property developer Simon Wilson confident that a report on the hotel’s commercial viability and funding will stand up to the most stringent scrutiny.
They will both have some convincing to do, however, if Mr Roberts’ comments are reflective of the mood of councillors.
He told The Courier: “We have to find some way of ensuring that these speculative proposals come with serious money behind them and not just fancy drawings.”
Mr Roberts continued: “To that end I would suggest that these proposers and any future proposers should lodge £100,000 with Perth and Kinross Council in a zero-interest account, which would be fully refunded when the proposals came to fruition or are withdrawn.
“This would at least give some indication that the developers had some cash. If these developers wish their proposals to be considered by our consultants they should also be asked to pay the consultants’ fees in full.
“Perhaps my suggestions would put an end to the endless supply of speculators, none of whom seem to have any money.”
Ambitious plans for a five star “Perth City Grand Hotel” only came to light this week, with proposals unveiled for 32 high-class bedroom suites, a fine-dining restaurant and a rooftop terrace bar and eatery.
Developers have been in high-level, closed-doors talks with senior council officials since December and believe that they have succeeded in gaining the local authority’s attention.
Mr Wilson said that a feasibility study, business plan and economic viability statement were all in the process of being prepared.
They and all matters of a financial nature will, he said, only be divulged at a higher level within Perth and Kinross Council and recommendations then passed on to planning officers and elected members.
The Perth City Market Trust, meanwhile, is expected to make a new bid for the lease of the hall within weeks.
Its members remain convinced that they can still convince Perth and Kinross Council to abandon plans to demolish the hall.
The trust’s Vivian Linacre said requiring a cash bond would “act as a clear disincentive to attracting investment to the detriment of all listed buildings that need a new use for.”
“An applicant for planning permission has spent a great deal of effort and money in design fees to produce the drawings, as well as paying the council’s planning fee, all of which amply proves the seriousness of the proposals, no matter how much of a nuisance they may seem to Councillor Roberts,” he said.
Neither move has delayed Perth and Kinross Council which, on Tuesday, began a 28-day public consultation on its plans to raze the building and create a civic square.
That development requires a bid to Historic Scotland for listed building consent that must first be canvassed with the public.
The two or even three plans can, however, go ahead in tandem at this stage, with all having their place within the planning process.
Independent commercial property experts Jones Lang LaSalle, who assessed the trust’s initial plan, said they had never been instructed in the manner suggested by Councillor Roberts.