Property developers have been given permission to renovate a derelict Victorian building overlooking Perth’s City Hall.
Council planners agreed to the proposal to turn the four-storey building at the rear of Cafe Biba into seven flats.
Bridge of Allan based Malcolm Parry Architects submitted the proposals to Perth and Kinross Council. They were approved, despite a couple of objections from neighbours.
Architects say the traditional building, thought to be 130 years old, has been in “urgent need of repair” after years of neglect and that the roof is showing signs of “rapid deterioration.”
One resident wrote to Perth and Kinross Council requesting that the close entrance is not be linked to the existing flats above Cafe Biba and accessed via King Edward Street.
Developers have confirmed the front door will face onto St John’s Place, parallel to the southern face of the City Hall.
Another objected to the number of flats but planners said they had no issues after consulting with various bodies and council departments.
Workers are already upgrading the City Hall which it is hoped will provide a new home for the Stone of Destiny.
Perth and Kinross Council is spending tens of millions of pounds upgrading the 106-year-old hall into a museum.
The pedestrianised roads around the premises in Perth’s cafe quarter are also being re-laid in the hope it will help bring a new lease of life to the St John’s Place area.
