Fair City full of ambitions

The momentum is all with Perth as it continues to forge ahead with business and cultural innovation,

Perth is the third fastest growing urban area in Scotland after Edinburgh and Aberdeen; we’re projecting 24% growth Perth has always prided itself on the number of independent retailers who have, to a large degree, weathered the storm

BEING Scotland’s thirdfastest growing urban area and already boasting major employer headquarters seems ample response to anyone seeking evidence to support Perth’s recent official promotion to the title “city”. Yet this historic hub of the eponymous shire has future ambitions beyond being a pleasant place in the middle of the nation.

On Friday it launched its bid to become UK City of Culture 2021. To put that in perspective, estimates suggest being UK City of Culture 2017 will deliver a £60 million boost to Hull during that year alone, primarily through increased local patronage and British staycation as well as overseas visitor footfall.

About 160,000 people live within a 30-minute drive time of Perth and 67 per cent of Scotland’s population within an hour’s drive. Holding them for longer when they visit, by capitalising on offering multiple cultural attractions, will accelerate financial returns.

But economic ladder climbing needs to offer a sustainable legacy. Perth is claiming a head start. David Littlejohn, Head of Planning and Development at Perth & Kinross Council (PKC) points to the Perth City Plan, the City Development Board’s (PCDB) 20-year vision to make Perth “a great European city”.

PCDB has been formed to help support growth of the city and surrounding region with input from both the public and private sector.

“Perth is the third fastest growing urban area in Scotland after Edinburgh and Aberdeen; we’re projecting 24 per cent growth over the next 20 years,” Littlejohn explains.

“That requires something like an additional 7,000 houses and takes Perth city’s population up to around 60,000 (currently 50,000).”

The wider Travel To Work Area (TTWA) moves that popu- lation figure to nearer 150,000, similar to that contained within Dundee’s boundaries. Its bigger eastern neighbour, already well advanced with its own regeneration agenda, is its key ally in the Tay Cities Region ( population 500,000) and its joint City Deal bid, securing UK and Scottish Government funds for major enabling infrastructure projects.

“There is a big opportunity to invest in ‘place’ to drive that growth,” Littlejohn insists. But given Perth’s current scale, surely its future fortunes depend on that partnership with Dundee?

“It’s a two-way street. There is as much commuting from Dundee to Perth for employment as there is in the other direction. Perth has two huge private sector employers – 2,500 people working at SSE headquarters, almost 1500 at Aviva. It has a big health sector employer. Perth Royal Infirmary is part of the twin teaching hospital, the other part of which being Ninewells (Dundee). What we’re trying to do is promote Perth and Dundee as twin cities. There is a synergy between the two.

“A lot of Perth’s residential growth is fuelled by being a scaleable compact city with access to stunning countryside, yet commutable to major cities.”

The change from large town to small city is more than about perceived status. The head of Perth’s planning function has his own interpretation.

“I think a useful definition is around ‘ ambition’. Perth has always been and continues to be very ambitious both in terms of the civic leadership and pride in place. There will be very few places of a 50,000 to 60,000 population that have a world- class concert hall. There are very few of that size that I can think of having a Richard Murphydesigned [ th e mu lt i - awa r d winning international Edinburgh architect] extension to its Edwardian Theatre.

“And going forward, a hugely ambitious cultural programme – a multi-million pound investment in a new contemporary art gallery housed in the former City Hall, and also a refurbishment of the existing art gallery. Big invest- ment, big ambition – I think that is the differentiator. It’s backed by a very strong business base. Perth has always prided itself on the number of independent retailers who have, to a large degree, weathered the economic storm.

“It is the overall look and feel of the place that’s important. That’s as much about the trend towards boutique retail, which Perth has in spades. Per head of population Perth has more restaurants, cafes and bars than any of the other Scottish cities. And they all do relatively well.”

Assisting the retail offer and services businesses delivers other dividends. Thus far PKC is the only local authority that has applied its ability to alter rates. It has doubled the Small Business Bonus Scheme, the mechanism