Derelict Perth school to become £3.5m creative exchange hub

A vacant former primary school in Perth city centre will be transformed into a creative hub in a project spearheaded by Perth and Kinross Council.The £3.5 million regeneration project will see the derelict St John’s Primary School be transformed into Creative Exchange Perth, a home for artists, creative industries, business incubation and community education. The redesigned building will house vibrant, connected workspaces and art studios, meeting rooms, a gallery and a café over three floors. The former school playground will be brought back into productive use as a community garden.Upon completion Creative Exchange Perth will provide space for 24 artists, 12 creative businesses and generate 20 FTE jobs during construction and operation.The venture is a partnership project led by Perth and Kinross Council in close partnership with WASPS (Scotland’s largest provider of creative studios space). Key stakeholders Perth College UHI, Elevator (Business Gateway current contract provider in Tayside), Perth Contemporary Arts Trust (PCAT), and Perth Visual Arts Forum (PVAF) are also guiding the projectThe building is located on Stormont Street and has lain vacant since 2011. Built in 1928 it is a typical traditional red brick school with 2350 square metres of gross floor area to be repurposed.The redevelopment will see former classrooms partitioned into studios which artists will be able to stamp with their own brand and identity.A privately funded Innovation Lab will be housed in the facility, nurturing culture across the project and the wider region. The hub will support business incubation and acceleration for around 35 businesses in the creative industries, including more knowledge intensive areas such as digital technologies and computer software.Perth and Kinross Council will invest £2.7m in the project, with the Scottish Government investing an indicative £335,000 from the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund. Elsewhere, £250,000 has been awarded by the European Regional Development Fund, £100,000 from the Community Investment Fund and £150,000 has been awarded to partner organisation WASPS for the project.The initiative is the latest step towards the cultural regeneration of Perth, which strengthens Perth’s case and bid to become the next UK City of Culture in 2021.