The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Developers to lodge plans for £30m cinema and shopping complex
Mill Quarter project promises jobs and much-needed boost to town-centre visitor numbers
Long-awaited plans for a £30 million cinema and shopping complex on the edge of Perth city centre are back on track, developers have assured.
The highly anticipated Mill Quarter development promises to create hundreds of jobs and deliver a radical boost to the area’s flagging nightlife.
Developer Expresso Property is in talks with big-name chains about taking up units at the new complex, which is expected to bring an extra 300,000 people into the city each year.
Construction crews began ground investigation work at the Thimble Row car park site in the spring.
Project leaders had originally hoped to submit a planning application in the first half of 2018.
Preparatory work on-site has taken longer than expected but Expresso Property said it was ready to submit detailed plans to Perth and Kinross Council officers in the new year.
We have refined the designs and we are looking to submit planning when we have finalised matters early in 2019
The company’s Nick Robinson said: “All is going well at The Mill Quarter.
“We have successfully carried out the majority of the site investigation and have refined the designs to accommodate both a difficult structural solution and occupants’ requirements.
“As such we are looking to submit planning when we have finalised matters early in 2019.”
The centre will generate work for about 125 people, while some 200 jobs will be created during the construction phase.
The Mill Quarter will feature a mix of restaurants, speciality shops, a multiscreen cinema and housing.
Last year, Perth and Kinross Council backed proposals for the local authority to lease and manage a 201space multi-storey car park on the site.
The project is part of a redevelopment of the city’s west end.
Work is already under way to transform St Paul’s Church into a civic area for markets, performances and events.
The council is also pushing ahead with its ambitious City of Light programme, which will involve illuminating landmark buildings and making Perth more attractive to visitors and residents at night.
There has been a concerted push to get more people into the area after a recent study revealed that nearly threefifths of the local population had not set foot in the city centre after dark.