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Plans to turn a historic mill in Perth city centre into a tourist attraction have been scrapped by the owners.
Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust (PKHT) took over Perth Lower City Mills in 2019 and had hoped to bring it back to life.
A delay caused by coronavirus meant that the Trust were unable to start work on the West Mill Street project.
They had planned to open a cafe as part of the development – which has been closed to the public for over 20 years – as well as build an outdoor terrace.
The Trust had hoped to have the mill back in use and open to the public in 2025.
However the proposal has now been scrapped with director of the Trust, David Strachan, citing an “uncertain financial environment”.
Perth’s Lower Mills date back to 1700s
In a statement, Mr Strachan said: “Further to over three years of development, the Trust has regrettably made the difficult decision not to progress with the proposed project.
“We began project development in 2019, and amongst other factors, the uncertain financial environment that has evolved post-covid has compromised our business plan for a sustainable end use.
“We will continue to promote the value of Lower City Mills as a nationally important heritage asset and an important opportunity to enhance the cultural offer of the city.
“To that end, we are discussing the future of the building with Perth and Kinross Council, Historic Environment Scotland and others, while the Trust reviews its operations and returns to the core business activities that it has successfully delivered over the last 30 years.
“I know this will be a disappointment to many of you and I can assure you it is not a decision our board made lightly.”
Earlier this year, The Courier was invited to look inside the disused mill after a £2.7 million funding announcement.
Dating back to the early 1700s, the mill was used to process wheat, barley, oats and peas.
It was crucial in keeping the people of Perth from going hungry until its closure in the early 2000s.
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