Perth and Kinross Council is progressing its project to demolish a historic Crieff hotel.
In November 2024, councillors on the Finance and Resources Committee unanimously agreed to allocate up to £3 million for the full demolition of the Drummond Arms Hotel on the grounds of public safety.
The council has now bought the listed building – which dates back to 1874 – from Drummond Arms Regeneration Limited (DARL) and drafted proposals for affordable housing on the site.
Crieff Community Council chairman Brian Wilton was recently quoted as saying the building’s future was up for discussion but a Perth and Kinross councillor has since slammed the comments as “somewhat delusional”.
Mr Wilton told the Strathearn Herald: “It has come to our attention that demolition representatives have been on site and PKC has determined that the whole building, and its façade, is to be razed.
“This is disturbing news when we’ve just started the consultation process to allow the Crieff community to discuss the future of the iconic façade, but the meeting will still go ahead.”
But at the latest meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee on Wednesday, February 5, Cllr Peter Barrett described the community council chairperson’s comments as “somewhat delusional” and “breathtaking”.
The Lib Dem councillor said: “I do think some residents of Crieff need a reality check. The comments from the community council chairperson were breathtaking.
“The council was absolutely clear it was purchasing that site for affordable housing; it wasn’t opening it up for community consultation. And I think there needs to be a robust response to members of the community, who seem to think that’s going to be the way to proceed.”
The council’s strategic lead for Property Services Stephen Crawford provided an update to councillors on progress with the demolition process.
At the February 5 meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee, Mr Crawford said: “Following approval of the paper at the end of November, the council purchased last week from DARL the property.
“We put in place restrictions for parking and site security prior to Christmas around the building, given the Dangerous Building Notice and the concerns we had. We’ve appointed a professional team – including a contractor – to deal with the Dangerous Building Notice; that’s current programme and investigations and safe systems work are progressing there.”
The building has been found to be even more unsafe. And further checks have been taking place as a result of the recent Storm Éowyn.
He added: “Equally – in light of some of those investigations – the Dangerous Building Notice has been extended to another part of the building after those investigations.
“We’re concurrently applying for listed building consent and warrant for the full demolition as instructed at council. We’re doing regular structural monitoring by professional engineers, especially before and after Storm Éowyn, as we go through this process.
“For the listed building consent, we have actually developed drafted proposals for affordable housing on the site and that has to be submitted as part of the listed building consent as to the use after any demolition. We are confident we have got a good team and process in place.
“The programme is at large but we are progressing this with haste to deal with the risk. The Dangerous Building Notice allows us to be working until June to do this. We are on programme to hit that.”
The council’s strategic lead for Property Services said he would be happy to meet with local residents and update them on the process.
Mr Crawford said: “I would be happy once we have got a plan and a worked-through way of dealing with the listed building consent – we’re dealing with everything from utilities to party walls to chimneys that are coming through neighbouring properties but actually originate in the building we have purchased – I would be happy to meet with all the of residents and the community there to update them on the process and the way we intend to action the instruction of council.”
Council leader Grant Laing added: “The decision to take on Drummond Arms was foisted on us by circumstance but we had to rise up and take the challenge. And we have. And I’m extremely confident the team we have will do a fantastic job. I’m sure the commitment to the people of Crieff, especially those living round about it, will be that they will be kept informed with timelines and it will be done as safely and timeously as possible. And then we can look forward to the second part of the council decision taking place – of providing housing in that area.”
The Drummond Arms closed in 2006. The Royal Bank of Scotland operated a branch in the ground floor of the building until 2012, when it was added to the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland.
In 2014 Crieff Community Trust began garnering support for a community Right to Buy the historic hotel. In 2019 the trust set up Drummond Arms Regeneration Limited (DARL), who bought the building for £30,000.
The project – to bring the derelict building back to life – was awarded over £1 million of grant funding. Most of it was from Scottish Government initiatives and £15,000 came directly from Perth and Kinross Council.
Perth and Kinross Council is conducting a “forensic” review as to how over £1 million of public money was squandered.