Legions of golf fans heading for the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles will be among the first guests to book in to a new £5 million Perth hotel.
The developer behind the 83-bedroom project has pledged to be open for business before the eyes of the sporting world focus on Perthshire next year.
With demand for accommodation around Auchterarder at an all-time high during the event, the project is seen as an important addition to the hotel scene.
“The plan very much is to have it open in advance of the Ryder Cup,” said Andrew Hutchinson, a director of Deanway Developments who are behind the joint venture with the Muir Group.
The project, which secures the future of one of Perth’s most high-profile buildings, was welcomed by councillors who unanimously granted consent to convert the Pullar Dyeworks building in Mill Street into a hotel and restaurant.
Stretching between the Kinnoull Street multi-storey car park and the concert hall, the building has lain empty since the Department of Work and Pensions shut in 2005.
Just waiting for a building warrant and licensing permission, the developers are poised to start on work as soon as possible and will take around eight months to complete the project.