A Perth eyesore property owner has been warned to provide “tangible proof” of progress at the site.
Councillor Peter Barrett called for James Boyd of Belfast-based Simple Marketing Global to show he is serious about preserving St Paul’s Church.
The move came as it was revealed Mr Boyd knocked back two offers for the run-down site from a bidder looking to convert it into a mosque.
Mr Boyd insisted he still wants to create a caf/community use for the ageing structure which has recently seen fresh scaffolding erected.
He said he had received a “couple of offers” to sell the former church.
“I said no to the offers,” he said.
“I want to carry on with the refurbishment of the building. Erecting scaffolding and netting has cost me a lot of money and I want to press on with my plans.
“I came up to Perth the other week and met with the council and things were okay.”
While he remained tight-lipped regarding the religious organisation that made the offer, Mr Boyd admitted the plan was to create a mosque at St Paul’s Church.
Mr Barrett, who has taken a long-term interest in the building, said he welcomed the move to buy the crumbling structure, which is home to thousands of nesting pigeons.
“If the owners are willing to sell then the building may have a renewed future as a place of worship and would breathe new life into the area,” he said.
“There are plenty of examples where former church buildings have been successfully converted to mosques.”
But the Scottish Liberal Democrat councillor tempered any optimism by issuing a warning.
He added: “St Paul’s still requires urgent works to be carried out to protect the structure and prevent it from falling apart. We need to see tangible proof that the owners are serious about preserving the building and I want to know when work to comply with the repairs notice is going to start.
“The building remains at risk. It is still exposed to the elements and open to pigeons and other vermin, architectural features such as the large stained glass window hanging in the balance.
“Local businesses continue to endure a dismal outlook onto ugly scaffolding which is a blight on our High Street and urgent action is required to improve to tackle that and improve the amenity of the area for businesses and shoppers.”
Mr Boyd said he is aware of the problems listed by Councillor Barrett and insists he will go ahead with his refurbishment plan.
The building was labelled an “utter eyesore” by Alastair Taylor, who runs Charlie Taylor, Hair, Health and Beauty, opposite St Paul’s Church.