Historic Scotland rescues Perth City Hall from demolition

Perth City Hall, an Edwardian B-listed building, was earmarked for destruction by Perth and Kinross Council to make way for a central plaza as part of a drive to regenerate the city centre.

The move resulted in a storm of protest, with Princes Charles’s Regeneration Trust adding a voice to those campaigning to save the 101-year-old city landmark. The Scottish Civic Trust and Save Britain’s Heritage also condemned the proposals, urging the council to rethink its decision.

Yesterday, supporters of the City Hall were celebrating after Historic Scotland rejected the council’s proposals and ordered councillors to consider alternative options.

A spokeswoman for Historic Scotland said: “Any application to demolish a listed building is scrutinised against the Scottish Historic Environment Policy. The policy states that no listed building should be demolished unless it has been clearly demonstrated that every effort has been made to retain it.” She added that all applicants must demonstrate that they had looked at all possible alternatives to demolition. “It is our belief, on the evidence presented by Perth and Kinross Council, that they have not made the case for demolition and that the alternatives have not been fully explored,” she said. “We have advised Perth and Kinross Council of the decision and would be happy to offer advice on, next steps.”

Mr James Provan, the chairman of the Perth City Centre Campaign, welcomed the conservation agency’s decision which he said had “put egg all over the face of the council.”

He said: “I am very pleased and I think this demonstrates that the council had their heads in the sand because they were not considering the historic aspects of the building and that they did not consult widely enough.

“Perth City Centre Campaign offered a package that we believed would have been a good compromise for everybody but they were not even prepared to consider that.” He added: “It would have been an absolute travesty if the City Hall had been demolished. It is an iconic building of its type.”

Councillor Ian Miller, leader of Perth and Kinross Council, said he welcomed Historic Scotland’s offer of support in continuing to look at options for the site.

“We involved Historic Scotland in our plans, we addressed their tests and felt we had made a very strong case,” he said. “We will now be looking at the detail of the reasons for refusal and how we can continue to work together with them to address the points they have raised.

“Our priority is regeneration and the promotion of jobs and businesses in Perth city and the surrounding area. The civic square option was the most economically viable of the many proposals considered and had the most public support – that’s why the Council unanimously took it forward.

“Our next task is to look at the detail of Historic Scotland’s report. We will then consider options as to how we can promote the best use of the site to keep Perth a vibrant city.”

The council failed four key tests, to prove:

• the building wasn’t of “special interest”

• it was “incapable of repair”

• the building’s demolition was “essential to delivering significant benefits”

• the “repair of the building is not economically viable”