The demolition of Perth City Hall would strip the city centre of one of its few architectural gems, according to Britain’s leading independent conservation group.
SAVE Britain’s Heritage fears that the plan to replace the Edwardian building with a civic square is fatally flawed.
In a letter of objection to Perth and Kinross Council, it warns that the loss of the building would undermine the city’s heart.
It also says that “council rhetoric” on the benefits of demolition overlooked the fact that surrounding buildings, St John’s Kirk excluded, were “unassuming and not befitting of a grand civic open space”.
SAVE has urged the council to step back from the brink and echoing Historic Scotland has called upon officials and elected members to give alternative plans further time to develop.
The Courier understands there have been more than 2,300 individual letters of objection to the listed Edwardian hall’s destruction, though documents are still being processed.
The council will almost certainly apply, for a second time, for permission to demolish the building, with the issue to come before its development management committee in the coming weeks.
It believes that creating a square in place of the listed hall, which has been closed since 2005, will be best for the city.
Members of the Perth City Market Trust still harbour hopes of converting the hall to create an up-market food hall.
The only alternative plan before the council at present, however, is that put forward by the Seventy Group for a five-star hotel.
SAVE caseworker Mike Fox said: “Perth City Hall is a majestic civic building, one of the finest in Scotland, and has a strong presence in the surrounding streetscape.
“Its category B listing marks it out as a building of national importance and all efforts should be made to find a new use for it.
“It is clearly capable of reuse, as demonstrated by recent and current proposals, and we call upon Perth and Kinross Council to fully consider these alternatives to demolition.”
In 2011, SAVE objected to Perth and Kinross Council’s plan for demolition, which was rejected by Historic Scotland on the grounds that the building had not been offered to the market for alternative uses and the economic benefits of a new square, could not be substantiated.
Mr Fox said SAVE believes little has changed since then.
There has been strong backing for alternatives to demolition from the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) and from the Prince’s Regeneration Trust.
Prominent individuals, such as MP Pete Wishart and leading businessman John Bullough, have, however, urged campaigners to step aside and let demolition take place for the future prosperity of Perth.