The developers who are being handed a council building for £1 have said they are excited to restore the “beautiful building” to its former glory.
Perth and Kinross councillors punted the Perth city centre building to Henley Homes in a deal agreed in private last Wednesday.
A lease agreement for 1-5 High Street, Perth was approved by 26 votes to nine as one of the final acts of the 2017-2022 group of Perth and Kinross councillors.
Henley Homes will transform the former offices into a boutique four-star hotel. Councillors agreed to award additional grant funding of up to £1.9 million to support the additional cost of restoring the B-listed building.
Nassar Khalil chief executive of Rogue City Hotels, partner and director of hotels and leisure at Henley Homes told the PA: “We are thrilled that councillors have now approved our plans, paving the way for us to begin work on this exciting project to deliver a high end boutique hotel the city of Perth will be very proud of.
“We will be heavily investing in the city and look forward to working with Perth and Kinross Council and the Perth community to bring this historic and beautiful building to its former glory.”
The agreement was supported by 26 Conservative, Lib Dem and SNP councillors and opposed by nine Independent, Labour, SNP and Conservative councillors.
Some councillors had called for the decision to be made after the election. There was then a call for the vote on the determination of the building’s future to be held in public. Both were outvoted.
Henley Homes has been given the option to buy the historic building once the work is completed.
