New rec parking issues in spotlight
Councillors air their views
Calls have been made for longstanding issues with parking to be addressed when building the new Blairgowrie Recreation Centre.
Councillors were given a chance to raise issues for consideration during the planning process of the £24 million project on Wednesday last week.
The pre-application report for the longawaited development was presented to Perth and Kinross Council’s planning and development management committee.
The full application will be presented at a later date, but the most recent virtual meeting on the matter marked a major step forward in the project.
The proposal includes a swimming pool, external sports pitch, vehicular access, parking, landscaping and associated work.
The sports facility will be used by the local community and will provide PE
facilities for pupils at Blairgowrie High School.
Liberal Democrat councillor Willie Wilson suggested the pool could also be a tourist attraction for visitors to enjoy as well as locals.
He told officers: “The importance of that to the local economy should be brought into the report.”
Two local councillors – who both sit on the committee – raised the issue of parking.
Blairgowrie and Glens Conservative councillor Bob Brawn said: “Parking has been a long-standing issue in that area.
“My thoughts are that planners should
look at maximising the amount of parking space within the site.
“I know the demolition of the existing building will open up more parking spaces but I think it’s something we should be concentrating on – the maximum number of parking spaces to alleviate the problem of parking for local residents in the area.”
Cllr Brawn also wondered if there might be signs directing drivers where to park during construction, a time when he believed there would be limited parking due to the existing spaces being used for construction.
Fellow ward councillor, SNP representative Tom McEwan, backed the
need to maximise parking but also called for parking bays for electric vehicles.
Cllr McEwan said: “I think this is an opportunity – with it being a council property – to expand that infrastructure and encourage people to have electric cars.”
He also called for the need to link to the Ardblair Trail to encourage active travel.
Cllr Wilson called for provision for bikes at the facility and said there should be parking available for minibuses and coaches, as well as disabled parking.
Blairgowrie Recreation Centre is expected to be open to the public by November 2023.
Planners should look at maximising the amount of parking Cllr Bob Brawn