Alternative uses must be found for Perth Harbour if it is to survive, it has been claimed.
Interest has declined over the years and if it was to remain as a port business, Perth and Kinross Council would be forced to invest almost £6 million.
In a bid to make the harbour more viable, Councillor Alan Grant has called for the local authority to consider other options.
During a meeting of the strategic policy and resources committee on Wednesday, he referred to an ongoing consultation about making the river a tourist attraction.
Mr Grant said: “We need to look at the water in terms of the benefits it can bring. When the V&A gets built in Dundee, we should offer a water taxi service.
“There are all sorts of possibilities to choose from. Having been down the river in a launch, the view you get from there is utterly different from any other perspective.
“We need to be looking at this kind of change because continuing to market the harbour as an exporting facility just isn’t going to work.”
He urged the committee to ensure any decisions made about the harbour are for the benefit of the whole community.
These views were echoed by Councillor Anne Younger, who described the discussions as “encouraging” as they looked at a number of opportunities available for the land.
According to a report put before councillors, the harbour has been in decline since the mid-19th Century, following the arrival of the railway to Perth.
Although the council has invested almost £2m in the port over the last 20 years, its property interests are valued at just £750,000.
Strategic policy and resources convener Ian Miller revealed they hoped to test the waters by marketing the land.
He said: “We need to consider all of the options available to us and this preliminary report is asking your approval to test the market in order to see if there is private sector interest in expanding its use.
“I would stress that this does not commit us to sell any, or all of our assets in the harbour area.
“It is simply testing the market and a report will come back to the council once we see what proposals come forward.
“I think this is a pragmatic response to the declining situation we face and I ask for your support.”
The proposals received unanimous support from the committee, although some members raised some concerns.
Councillor Pete Barrett called for a time limit for marketing the council’s interests at the harbour, revealing the issue about its future had been dragging on for several years.
“There aren’t a lot of alternative solutions,” he said.
“I am not 100% sure that a marketing period of three months is adequate.
“I don’t know if it would be useful to put a timescale on it between three to six months.
“We don’t want this to drag on forever, but we do need to make sure it reaches a conclusion.”