£500 million Perth West development gets council go-ahead

Perth & Kinross Council has approved the £500m Perth West development, paving the way for the creation of more than 1,000 skilled jobs in Perth.The project will be the first in Scotland using an integrated approach to logistics, energy, transport and housing – all based on sustainable technologies.The John Dewar Lamberkin Trust has been working with the council since 2015 on the development, including a public charrette process undertaken with Scottish Government.Current economic modelling forecasts that, by 2045, Perth West is expected to support 1,080 jobs, including 440 in advanced logistics and mobility sectors, 400 in research and development, and a further 250 in services.The Perth West project will generate £493m additional gross valued added to the economy of Tayside over 25 years, plus council tax and business rates revenue.The development will be delivered in phases from 2022 onwards.Perth West comprises three core elements – Perth Innovation Highway, Perth Eco-Innovation Business Park and the Lamberkin Village – and is supported by the DR.ECO Energy Park, which is still in the planning stages.The Perth Innovation Highway is an energy, data and road corridor connecting a new junction off the A9 to the centre of Perth, enabling businesses, public transport operators and residents to access a gigabit-capable full-fibre network, low-carbon energy and mobility services.The Perth Eco-Innovation Business Park will cover 25-hectares of the site on the south-western edge of Perth. Initially it will host a range of infrastructure and commercial and industrial facilities in a Living Lab environment to support the city’s transition to a low-carbon economy.Once the new grade-separated junction is built to replace the existing Tibbermore junction, the business park will target the logistics sector, with plans for a distribution consolidation centre and a last mile logistics facility where autonomous and drone deliveries may be trialled.Alongside the business park, some 1,500 homes are planned, alongside an 18-hectare heritage park to celebrate the Battle of Tippermuir, a network of pathways and cycling tracks throughout the development and into Perth, linking with public transport routes and electric bike docks at so-called ‘mobility hubs’, as well as electric vehicle charging and car sharing facilities.