Demolition would be better than leaving Beatties to fester, says homegrown Wolverhampton businessman

"I know it will be controversial, but if it really is uneconomic to restore the building, as the length of time it has remained empty would suggest it to be the case, then just pull the whole thing down," says Mr Carver, a senior member of Wolverhampton Business Forum.

Nobody can accuse this dyed-in-the-wool Wulfrunian of not having the city's interests at heart. The former president of Wolverhampton Business Forum, who runs Carvers Building Supplies, has spent £30,000 out of his own pocket hiring experts to come up with a plan to revive the city centre. The report, from The Retail Group and Tibbalds, is expected soon.

Braving the heavy rain on an afternoon walkabout in the city, Mr Carver points out all the under-utilised buildings in the city. Pointing to the first and second floors of the Victorian parades along Queen Square, Darlington Street and Victoria Street, he says there is so much scope for creating much-needed city centre living.

"There is a chronic shortage of residential property in Wolverhampton, and for many young people, the city centre is where they want to be," he says.

"My son has just moved back from London, and there every available space is turned into housing. The city centre has the transport links, and it is near to the shops, it will bring a bit of nightlife, and give the restaurants more business. It will also make it safer at night - it always feels safer when there are people around. And if there are more people around, the businesses will come back."

Mr Carver says one major problem is the rule which exempts the owners of listed buildings from having to pay rates while the properties are void. This, he says, attracts property speculators with no real intention of developing the buildings they own, but instead being content to sit on them until the economic outlook is more favourable. This, he suggests, may have contributed to the hiatus surrounding Beatties.

Mr Carver says he would want all avenues to be explored in seeking to find a new use for Beatties – or at least the distinctive Art Deco frontage in Victoria Street. This could involve the council stepping in with financial assistance, or failing that, looking into the use of compulsory purchase powers.

But if all else fails, he says it would be better to demolish the building if it speeds up redevelopment of the site, rather than allow it to fester and decay for years to come. He points to the situation with the Wolverhampton Eye Infirmary, which has become a vandal-plagued eyesore since it closed in 2007, as a danger of what happens if you try to preserve buildings which have no viable use.

"There is a danger that we over-preserve," he says. "Some buildings are obviously worth keeping, but sometimes you have to move on.

"Beatties has been empty for three years now. I'm sure if the scheme had been viable we would have seen some progress by now.

"I know some of it is a little iconic, but if you look down Darlington Street it's nothing special."

Mr Carver says the eye infirmary has become a major eyesore at an important gateway to the city, and was not of any real great architectural merit. But, he adds, Beatties is in an even more important site, and cannot be allowed to drag on in a similar fashion.

"Beatties is arguably in an even more strategic location, and the longer it goes on, the more dilapidated it becomes, costs go up, and it becomes even less viable to renovate," he says.

"I know that I and our business group will take some flak for this, but I have always believed a 'man with a plan' beats a 'ship without engine or rudder'."

The huge department store on the corner of Victoria Street and Darlington Street has been empty for three years after being vacated by the Frasers Group, which replaced Beatties with a smaller shop in the Mander Centre.

The building was bought by developer SSYS Beatties for £3 million, and planning permission was granted for two separate schemes to redevelop the building into a mix of shops and apartments. But both schemes failed to materialise, and earlier this month the Express & Star revealed the company had been placed in receivership.

Mr Carver says that, in the first instance, the council should conduct a viability study to assess the anticipated costs associated with both the purchase and development of the property.

If this proves that the return on investment would be unfeasibly low, he suggests the council might consider contributing funds to make the scheme viable.

Alternatively, Mr Carver says the council should take steps to remove the listed status from the building, meaning that the owner would be required to pay business rates.

"The council should then allow the property owner to demolish the existing building and construct a new structure that aligns with the community's needs and requirements," he says.

"If construction does not start within an agreed time framework then the council should enact a compulsory purchase order."

Councillor Stephen Simkins, leader of Wolverhampton Council, says it is unlikely the authority would be in a position to help fund any redevelopment. However, Andy Street, elected mayor for the West Midlands, says the combined authority might be prepared to offer some help as part of a wider consortium.