At risk Perth church to form new public space
December 6 2016
Occupying a prominent spot on the High Street the building has now been acquired by the council who will undertake to consolidate the walls whilst removing the roof and windows to form a walled outdoor space accessed by four newly inserted archways.
The resulting space would be made available for day-to-day use and as a venue for music, drama and other arts events.
Councillor Ian Miller, Leader of the Council, said: "St Paul's Church has long been an unsightly feature of Perth's High Street. A number of proposals have come forward over the years from private owners of how it could be brought into use, but none of these have become reality.
"Unfortunately it is clear that nobody else is coming up with a viable idea for its future. That is why it is so important that we consider a more 'out of the box' approach to St Paul's."
Wayne Hemingway, designer and technical advisor to the Perth City Development Board, commented: "St Paul's is a beautiful, evocative historic building surrounded by quirky, small, affordable shops and a hidden courtyard space. What an opportunity to uncover this underused part of the city and turn it into a real asset."
An adjoining spire would be fully repaired, confirming its future as a skyline landmark pending Perth’s UK City of Culture 2021 bid.
6 Comments
#1 Posted by willothewisp on 7 Dec 2016 at 04:59 AM
Blitz chique! Great, an outdoor space - handy on a wet December evening.
#2 Posted by Stephen on 7 Dec 2016 at 16:03 PM
Nice idea, especially as it enriches the public realm rather than it being lost to private hands. Hopefully something to build on and not something that's allowed to become a public toilet on a Friday night.
#3 Posted by willothewisp on 7 Dec 2016 at 21:16 PM
I am going to buy some super strength cider as we speak....
#4 Posted by Sven on 8 Dec 2016 at 08:27 AM
Deliberate ruination seems extreme until one understands that this former church has been unused for the better part of 40 years. It can be saved but the cost is more than the building would be worth. A public space within the building makes sense. St Dunstans in London comes to mind, planted with trees, hardy palms and shrubs, it is a meeting place and somewhere pleasant to sit. All in all a good combination of saving the essence of the building whilst keeping saving it.
#5 Posted by Islands of sanity on 9 Dec 2016 at 16:23 PM
Sometimes the best way is to consolidate as a ruin and in town centres we do need to encourage opportunities for social activity, preferably not the strong cider type. Given our weather, perhaps some tasteful retractable sail type canvas awnings might be an idea.
#6 Posted by ratuos on 29 Sep 2017 at 21:52 PM
i can smell the enclosed area allready
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