The same council planners who backed demolition of Perth’s embattled city hall are now supporting a scheme to save it from the wrecking ball.
In a stunning about-face, it has now been confirmed that Perth and Kinross councillors will be urged to award planning permission to a scheme that would see the Edwardian building converted into a five-star hotel.
A report to go before the development management committee on Wednesday states that the hotel will “improve the vitality and viability of the city centre” and “potentially lead to further economic investment”.
Should elected members follow the advice they are being given, the hotel plan will then exist in the same grey area as those to demolish the hall and create a civic square.
Demolition has already been granted planning permission but requires listed building consent from Historic Scotland to progress a consent that appears increasingly unlikely now that council planners have accepted that the hotel scheme is commercially viable.
Nonetheless, it remains to be seen whether councillors will be convinced enough by the hotel scheme in the long term to abandon the civic square proposals.
Ahead of Wednesday’s meeting, the former chief executive of Perth and Kinross Council has branded his former colleagues cowards over their stance on Perth City Hall.
Jim Cormie said councillors lacked the “strength of character” to break ranks and defy the “dictatorship” that the local authority has become.
In an incendiary statement, the man who once held current council chief Bernadette Malone’s post said he feared the council had long ceased to hear the voice of the people.
He also said elected members had become mired in unthinking unity and were cowed by their employers, but nonetheless called upon one or more to step forward to lead a popular public crusade to save the hall.
The criticisms were swiftly rebutted by Perth City Centre councillor and Liberal Democrat group leader Peter Barrett, who described them as a “ranting tirade” and said Mr Cormie’s views were at odds with the public majority.
Granting the hotel plan planning permission for three years would not tie the council to the plans as it’s likely such a decision would likely spark a renewed marketing process in which other parties including the Perth City Market Trust would become involved.
Refusal would see the issue progress to another meeting the following month when elected members would consider another application to Historic Scotland forlisted building consent to allowdemolition.
Mr Cormie has made no secret of his support for efforts to save the listed building and in particular for the efforts of the Perth City Market Trust.
“The whole shambles has been politicallydominated and ruthlessly controlled from within 2 High Street,” he said.“Where, outside a communist dictatorship,would you find 100% majority voting on an issue of immense public interest and,initially at least, of considerable public controversy?
“That controversy has now largelysubsided, leaving the principal objectors talking to themselves while the vast majorityare now clamouring for the preservation,reinstatement and re-use of the cityhall.
“Where, however, will we find one singlePerth and Kinross councillor with the strength of character to defy thedictatorship of 2 High Street andstep forward to lead a popular publiccrusade to save and use the hall for the prosperity of Perth city centre and for the benefit of the people of Perth and Kinross in general?
“The present regime is diktat, notdemocratic local government.”
Mr Barrett, however, is among those who believe it is the creation of a civic square that has had popular support within the Perth community.
“The fact that not a single councillor of any party, including every independentcouncillor who are members of none, shares his ill-tempered and ill-considered opinions is something that demonstrates precisely how isolated he is,” he said.
“Mr Cormie’s attempt to seduce abreakaway member to lead a so-called ‘popular crusade’ to save the hall reveals his lack of respect for local politicians who on this issue are in tune with the vast majority of their constituents.”
Other group leaders were contactedby The Courier but declined torespond.