Perthshire businessman John Bryden is stepping up his campaign to save Perth City Hall.
The Gleneagles entrepreneur has accused Perth and Kinross Council of “delaying tactics” and revealed he has written to Historic Scotland to seek assurances that the organisation remains determined to protect and preserve the B-listed building, which dates back to 1911.
Mr Bryden has reiterated a commitment to plough his own cash into “restoring purchaser” plans to retain the main hall for second-tier live performances, banquets and one-day-a-week free community use, and to convert the Lesser City Hall into bedsit accommodation aimed at Perth College students.
His plans were rejected by the council this year on the grounds it did not want to sell the building, which had been earmarked for demolition to create a civic square before Historic Scotland stepped in to demand a fresh round of marketing.
Two proposals for leasing the building for a 32-bedroom luxury hotel flagged up by the Seventy Group and an indoor food market championed by Perth Market Place were weighed up by councillors in July.
Unconvinced by the “commercial viability” of either project, however, the council deferred a decision until October 7 to “highlight concerns and identify a realistic way forward” to Historic Scotland.
But with the uncertainty dragging on in the wake of the council’s latest deferral decision, Centreglobal managing director Mr Bryden has written to Historic Scotland’s heritage management team leader, Leigh Johnston.
Of the council, the businessman who owns a string of licensed premises in the Fair City tells Ms Johnston: “Despite regular complaints by individual councillors, and our MP Pete Wishart, that the re-use issue is taking too long, they have taken from January 16 to July 1 to sit on two bids and have achieved precisely nothing.
“Like most local people and some councillors I am completely bewildered by the remit they have given their officials: to ‘take up their concerns’ with Historic Scotland.
“My guess is that they want to persuade you that (a) neither of the ‘to lease’ bids is acceptable and (b) you should give them a signal that a fresh demolition application would be favourably received.
“If that is correct, it would surely be the most obvious evidence that they are determined to avoid coming in contact with a restoring user for the building and remain hell-bent on demolishing it regardless of public opinion, the clear requirements of the Scottish Historic Environment Policy (SHEP) guidelines and your decision letter of May 2, 2012, which states that the building must be offered for sale before demolition can be contemplated.
“My own commitment to buying the building and putting it to the uses I have previously described to you remains as strong as ever and I am writing to advise you of this fact before you make any further concessions to the council and its untenable position relative to the SHEP guidelines.”