Most businesses near Perth’s City Hall favour retaining at least part of the building, according to a local survey.
Willie White, who runs Willows coffee shop and restaurant in St John’s Place, conducted the survey of firms in the area and last night told The Courier that if the council does demolish the Edwardian listed building he fears his business will not survive.
The issue of the future of City Hall has been the subject of debate for several years, with Perth and Kinross Council applying for listed building consent to demolish the vacant hall and replace it with an open square.
However, this proposal met a storm of protest and Historic Scotland received objections to the council plan, leading to the local authority examining other options for its use.
The local authority then carried out a marketing exercise and an undisclosed number of notes of interest were lodged. Perth and Kinross Council has now given interested parties until October 31 to lodge their detailed submissions.
Perth City Market Trust (PCMT) wants to convert the building to accommodate a food hall and associated uses.
Mr White told The Courier that when he heard Councillor Alan Grant, depute leader of Perth and Kinross Council, apparently implying that he spoke for neighbouring businesses, he decided to conduct his own survey of the views of local business people.
The survey results revealed 18 votes for retention of City Hall, four for demolition and two making no comment. It was conducted over a two-week period, with businesses being asked if they felt the demolition would affect their business, and what they would like the hall to be used for if it was to be retained.
Various suggestions were put forward tourist information centre, market hall, jumble sales and even an aquarium.
Mr White said: “The reason I felt so strongly about this is I probably get asked about the City Hall around a dozen times a week and hear people’s opinions.
“If the council think that the city square proposal is so wonderful, can they please come up with a business plan and show us where all the extra visitors are going to come from and who is going to finance the events they propose?
“Demolition, archaeological excavation and reconstruction will take at least two years, during which the area will be a building site and could end up like the tram project in Edinburgh and I can’t see my business surviving the disruption.”
He hit out at Mr Grant, who has publicly stated that he favours demolition of City Hall.
Mr White said: “Councillor Grant said I was not an independent person to carry out the survey, but these views were mainly given by owner/operators who rely on their business for their and their staff’s livelihood. Councillor Grant claims he is speaking for businesses, which he most certainly is not.”
In a letter to Mr White, seen by The Courier, Councillor Grant said he feels the survey results may not “accurately” reflect how some people felt about the issue.
He says in the letter: “Having studied architecture and design in the period 1899-1939 for my degree the timespan within which the hall was built I am aware of more detail than many people.
“It (City Hall) is a reinforced concrete building, the ‘stone’ walls are built of reconstituted stone, not quarried stone.
“The building is too large for the site and if the space was vacant today and planning permission sought to build it, Historic Scotland would refuse it out of hand. My appreciation of the huge advantage the city would derive from a civic square means I will not change my view of the situation, whatever happens.”
The local authority is offering a long lease of City Hall but has made it clear that proposals involving the purchase of part or the whole of the property will not be considered.