Perth and Kinross Council said it had received five bids to breathe new life into the historic building before last week’s deadline.

The announcement follows a period of remarketing the city centre building, which currently lies empty, to prospective developers.

The five proposals were evaluated by independent commercial property expert, Jones Lang Lasalle, was instructed by the council to establish whether bids were compliant, setting out a credible and financially deliverable business case to undertake the redevelopment.

The firm concluded that three of the bids were non-compliant with the specific guidelines outlined as part of the marketing process and will not be progressed any further.

A statement from the council confirmed: “Perth & Kinross Council received five proposals for the redevelopment of Perth City Hall. These proposals have been evaluated by independent commercial property expert, Jones Lang Lasalle, who have concluded that three of the bids are non-compliant with the specific guidelines outlined as part of the marketing process. These proposals will not be progressed any further.

“We can confirm that the remaining two bids will progress to the next stage of the assessment process.”

Earlier this month SCN reported that Perth businessman John Bryden unveiled plans that would see the City Hall used for student accommodation.

The man behind the Ice Factory, That Bar, the Loft, the Tavern and Roca Blu envisages the main hall used for events as it was in the past — everything from concerts to banquets to boxing and fashion shows — while a radical new use of the lesser hall as student accommodation would form the “financial backbone” of his plan.

Meanwhile a proposal businesswoman Ann Gloag to demolish the building and create a new hall and gym for the adjacent Trinity Church of Nazarene was criticised by Historic Scotland.