Glasgow Games company to construct £4 million visitor centre at Pitlochry

Aim to relay area’s history

The construction team that built the athletes’ village for last year’s Commonwealth Games has been appointed to work on an ambitious multi-million-pound visitor attraction at Pitlochry Dam.

Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) has secured planning consent for is new centre at its famous Highland Perthshire power plant.

The new £4 million base will showcase the role played by engineers who brought hydro-power to Scotland more than 70 years ago.

Now, SSE has appointed Glasgow construction firm CCG to carry out the work. The company created the acclaimed athletes’ village for the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

The new centre is expected to open in October. Admission will be free and plans include a 60-seat café, retail area and a multi-space zone for education.

Project manager Iain Muir said he is confident the project will be delivered on time.

He added: “The new visitor centre is very important to us because SSE’s history is Scotland’s history.

“Hydro-electricity improved the lives of ordinary people living in the north of Scotland and we have a responsibility to preserve and promote the remarkable stories from that time.”

David Wylie, business strategy manager for CCG, said: “Working with SSE to deliver this visitor centre represents another exiting project for CCG.

“Our construction approach will use the latest materials to create a highperformance building that provides a great experience for the 100,000 users expected each year.”

Located at the end of the Tummel valley, the picturesque Pitlochry Dam is already a major tourist attraction, with an estimated 500,000 visitors crossing it each year.

Damn fine view: the dam attracts about 500,000 visitors each year.