A local councillor has welcomed work being done to clear out The Royal Hotel in Blairgowrie.
The hotel – which closed in 2020 – was the subject of a police raid last August when officers discovered it was being used as a cannabis farm.
The town centre hotel – on Allan Street – has fallen into disrepair and more recently there have been reports of youngsters attempting to access the building.
Blairgowrie and Glens councillor Caroline Shiers said securing the hotel’s future “is so important” for the Perthshire town.
The Conservative councillor said: “I really appreciated the positive actions of Perth and Kinross Council vacant property, environmental health and community safety staff who are working with the owners of the hotel to, firstly, ensure it is safe and secure and, secondly, to seek a positive future for the building. I would also thank the police and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service who have been working with the council to ensure safety around this empty building.
“The Royal Hotel is such a landmark building on the High Street in Blairgowrie and it is essential that we find a purpose for it and that it can be saved from any further deterioration.
“Blairgowrie is well served by many independent retailers and businesses on the High Street. All of us are concerned about The Royal Hotel site and hope the future of the building can be established as soon as possible. It may be that the hotel doesn’t open again in its previous incarnation as a hotel with a function space and restaurant, but either way it remains a lovely old building who deserves a new future to be found for it.”