Perth would be ”mad” to allow the city hall to be demolished, the architect behind an effort to breathe new life into the building has claimed.
James Simpson called on the council to back a vision, which has been endorsed by Prince Charles, to create a ”destination attraction” to reverse Perth’s slide as a mecca for shoppers.
He spoke out as the council considers various proposals that have been lodged with it by parties keen to save the building.
The council was forced to undertake a further marketing of the empty, listed city hall after Historic Scotland recommended to the Scottish Government that more effort should be made to find a new future for the building.
The refusal of permission for consent to demolish Perth City Hall blocked the council’s preferred option of razing the Edwardian building to the ground to make way for a civic square.
The initial three-month marketing period ended on November 28 and a number of notes of interest in developing the building were lodged.
The council declined to elaborate on how many people had shown interest, but one group, the Perth City Market Trust, has gone public with its outline development proposal.
The trust plans to restore Perth’s market heart by opening up the existing building and integrating a permanent food market hall unique in Scotland into what they believe will become a vibrant and thriving market square.
The development will also incorporate, on each side of the main entrance from King Edward Street, a tourist shop and a heritage centre.
In addition, the trust will create a hub for local youth enterprise at the gallery area level, restore community use of the Lesser Hall, and create a rooftop restaurant with panoramic views.
The trust says it is confident that the revenues created from the development will not only cover the funding costs, but will also create a healthy surplus for investment in the regeneration of Perth city centre and its historic heritage.
This effort to save the hall from demolition has won the support of two of Prince Charles’s charities: The Prince’s Regeneration Trust and The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community.
Ros Kerslake, chief executive officer of The Prince’s Regeneration Trust, said of the bid: ”We are pleased to be advising Perth City Market Trust in their aims to regenerate the centre of Perth through the sustainable reuse of the city hall as a market hall.
”We are working in partnership with our sister charity, The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community, and together with the local trust will deliver wide-ranging benefits to the community through this opportunity to rejuvenate Perth’s historic heart.
”We believe in the potential of local heritage to unlock an area’s capacity for growth and we are hugely excited about what this ambitious project could mean for local people.”
The plans have been drawn up by heritage architects, Simpson & Brown of Edinburgh, and James Simpson said: ”The city hall is a fine civic building which has simply lost its purpose.
”As a market hall, opening on to a square, it will rejuvenate the city centre. Perth would be mad to lose it.”
Leading lights with the trust, Vivian Linacre and Jim Cormie, said the trust was looking forward confidently to the second stage of the city hall marketing process, which will deal largely with the business plan, feasibility study and funding resources.
”People are yearning for some vitality and excitement the market hall would become the social hub of Perth,” said Mr Linacre.
”It would give Perth such a huge boost, it would be the envy of other towns and cities in Scotland.”