An art deco cinema that was marked for demolition could now be given protected status.
Perth and Kinross Council approved plans to tear down Auchterarder’s Regal picture house in 2010.
The local authority has now called for the building to be given listed status, which could save it from the wrecking ball.
The Townhead property was due to be sold at auction last month but was removed from sale at the 11th hour after intervention by Historic Environment Scotland.
The heritage body said it had received an application from council officers to consider the significance of the building, which had been previously praised as a “rare example” of its kind by the Cinema Theatre Association.
A council spokeswoman said: “The Regal Cinema dates from 1928 and is a good surviving example of early small, local cinemas.
“As such, HES has been asked by Perth and Kinross Council, as planning authority, to assess the merits of designating the building for listing.
“This request now sits with HES to consider, undertaking the relevant procedures and consultations with various parties, before concluding their position.”
HES confirmed it was making inquiries. “Anyone can propose a building for listing and we aim to inform owners and potential owners of an application as soon as possible,” a spokesman said.
“If the Regal Cinema is found to meet the criteria for listing, we will consult the owners and interested parties on the proposal before making a final decision.”
A spokeswoman for SVA Property Auctions, which had highlighted the old cinema’s “quirkiness”, said notice from HES arrived the afternoon before the building was due to go under the hammer.
She said: “This was totally unexpected. SVA had to declare the notice via the auction errata and needless to say, the lot did not sell.
“The client has arranged a time for the inspection and has agreed to take the building off the market until this is sorted out.”
The Regal opened in 1928, four years after the nearby Gleneagles Hotel, and operated for more than 50 years.
The original building featured shops at either side of the art deco foyer, with a tea room on the first floor. Above the auditorium is a spectacular vaulted tin roof.
The cinema was operated by JB Milne Theatres and advertised on its bills as “Auchterarder’s Own Super Cinema.”
In 2006, Glasgow-based businessman Christopher Kasiewicz lodged plans to demolish the building and clear the way for two blocks of flats.
The two-storey property had been on the market for some time but had failed to attract a buyer.
