The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
£28 million for Perth expansion welcomed
Company pledges £28 million in developer contributions
The funding of a major expansion of Perth which could create thousands of jobs has taken a multi-million-pound step forward.
Springfield Properties has signed an agreement allocating £28 million of developer contributions to the Bertha Park project.
The masterplan for Bertha Park, which will lie beyond Inveralmond off the A9, includes 3,000 new homes, 26 hectares of land dedicated to business use and new primary and secondary schools.
Springfield Properties’ contribution to the 30-year project will see £14m spent on the delivery of new primary school facilities for the local community.
The homebuilder has also contributed a further 11 hectares for the £32m secondary school which will have a capacity for 1,100 pupils, generating around 200 jobs within the development.
A further £12.5 million from the developer will be invested in the Cross Tay Link Road (CTLR).
Planned to ease congestion through Perth’s busy centre, the CTLR will re-route local traffic around the city to Scone.
Springfield’s managing director, Innes Smith, hailed the agreement saying: “The signing of the developer contribution agreement is a great step forward.
“It means we are less than a year away from building on site,” he continued.
“Our goal is to create a new village, with a thriving and active community. This agreement secures business opportunities, jobs and education within walking distance, making Bertha Park a place people will want to live and work.”
Springfield has dedicated 26 hectares of land in the masterplan for mixed business use. Although specific businesses or companies have not been identified at this stage, the space has the potential to create 1,500 to 2,000 jobs.
“The business area which we propose for Bertha Park will be a fantastic opportunity for local companies to expand and for entrepreneurs to get new businesses up and running,” said Mr Smith..
Perth and Kinross Council’s enterprise and infrastructure committee convener, Councillor John Kellas, welcomed the developer contribution.
“Bertha Park will be built over the next 30 years, potentially creating more than 2,000 new jobs and sustaining hundreds more in the local area,” he said.
“The Bertha Park development will ensure this expansion continues by not only providing everything a growing community needs including good quality housing and schools, but, also by creating business and leisure opportunities.”
The business area which we propose for Bertha Park will be a fantastic opportunity for local companies to expand. INNES SMITH SPRINGFIELD PROPERTIES MANAGING DIRECTOR