The future of Perth City Hall will be decided behind closed doors.
For the past four months council officials and the group hoping to convert the listed building into a food market hall have been locked in negotiations over the terms of a ground lease.
On Wednesday the full council will have to decide whether they are satisfied with the outcome of those talks and are in a position to sign a lease with Perth Market Place Ltd.
In October councillors set the clock ticking for the group to prove they can financially deliver the project.
Although backing the food market hall as the preferred bidder over a hotel proposal, councillors stressed that failure to demonstrate sufficient investment and a strict timetable for completion would torpedo lease negotiations.
If no lease can be concluded, the future of the Edwardian building which has lain empty for a decade would once more be in jeopardy, Councillor Alan Grant pointed out at the time.
The long-time supporter for demolition of the hall to make way for a civic square told that meeting: “It may seem strange that I have seconded this (bid) as the survival of the city hall is an anathema to me.
“This is not the end of the process, it is just a stage, they (Perth Market Place Ltd) will have a lot to do to satisfy us.”
The contents of the report, which will go before councillors on Wednesday, remain confidential as they contain sensitive financial information.
A key player in the negotiations, Perth Market Place Ltd director Vivian Linacre, is confident that Wednesday’s crunch meeting won’t herald the end of his dream.
“Throughout the last four months, since the council meeting in October, the council chief officers concerned have worked very closely with the professional team advising my company, Perth Market Place Ltd,” he said.
“However we do appreciate that there is still a certain amount of work still to be done. We are fully confident of a successful outcome eventually.”
Council-backed plans to demolish the hall foundered when Historic Scotland now replaced by Historic Environment Scotland said they wished to see all avenues in finding a use for the hall explored. However, they did add that they didn’t wish to see the process to continue “in perpetuity”.
An earlier report to councillors revealed that following a two-year rent-free period from date of entry, Perth Common Good Fund could expect an annual rent of £20,000 plus a potential 7.5% of the turnover generated by a market hall.