Aberfeldy Square all set for £900k facelift
New look could entice visitors to spend time in town
A £900,000 project to regenerate the square in Aberfeldy is planned to start as soon as next March, with work being carried out over five months.
On Wednesday and Thursday residents of the town headed to the community campus to see plans for the paved open space, situated either side of the main thoroughfare.
This latest viewing opportunity is the result of four years of a collaborative approach between Perth and Kinross Council, Aberfeldy Small Business Association (ASBA) and Aberfeldy Community Council.
Of the £900,000 earmarked for the scheme, the lion’s share would come from the Perth and Kinross Council, with an appeal being made to Griffin Wind Farm Community Fund to stump up around £100,000 of the cost.
Proposals for the square focus on reducing the current parking provision – of 13 spaces – in order to “help facilitate a level, flexible space, which will be supported by new power points, enabling the provision of current and future music and cultural events.”
Chair of the Aberfeldy Community Council, Victor Clements, said: “The community council is unanimously supportive of this effort to give the town a focal point.
“And the small businesses, which have the most to gain and the most to lose from any change to the town centre, are leading this improvement initiative, they recognise the value in it, which I think is very telling. ”
During 2014 and 2015, during two community charrettes - a type of planning consultation exercise attracting between 80 and 90 people to each, people were asked what would make visitors turn off the A9 and drive 10 miles to visit Aberfeldy.
The vast majority of respondents pointed to the potential of the town square.
Making the square an attractive focal point was identified as a priority, potentially helping support and sustain local economic growth.
“Currently, to people driving through the town, our square appears to be a car park. So much more could be made of it without the vehicles,” commented Mr Clements.
“I understand people will keep coming back to asking “what about parking?” But I think that is a challenge we can solve elsewhere in the town.
“Losing the 13 spaces in the square, well in order of the magnitude of the ask from the public, I think it is reasonably small.
“While cars would be displaced from the square, we are not removing any dedicated resident parking, which is a key point.
“If we better signed up what we have, I believe people would discover we have adequate space in the surrounding streets for locals and visitors.”
He explained that Breadalbane Community Campus has 120 parking bays which, particularly at peak visitor time during summer holidays, would be available as free parking within a five minute walk of the majority of the town’s shops.
He added that in term time, around 20 spaces at the campus were regularly empty. Michael Morgan, Square Aberfeldy regeneration projects officer at Perth and Kinross Council, first met with interested parties in Aberfeldy in September 2013 and has been manning the exhibition of plans in the library this week.
He said: “Some visitors to the dropin this week were asking me what was meant by us ‘getting inspiration from Barcelona’.
“We are not saying we will try and match the Catalonian capital, just that there, as in cities like Stockholm, the square - minus cars - creates a worthwhile focal point for visitors.
“I have spoken to many local people about this exciting project, and having heard the detail, most are extremely keen to see it happen and agree temporary disruption during construction is worth it for a great result for Aberfeldy.”
Mr Morgan added that the side road leading off the square towards Burnside Road, used by the bus operator Aberfeldy Motors to access its garage, would be temporarily closed during some part of the five month works, not permanently taken away as had been wrongly stated in the Perthshire Advertiser on Tuesday.