Proposals for a near-£1 million facelift of Blairgowrie town centre have been placed before council planners.
Backers hope the extensive renovations throughout the Wellmeadow and Riverside will prove a tourist draw and inject new life into the town.
The £820,000 project includes the introduction of new signs and interpretation materials in a bid to make it more enticing for visitors and give Blairgowrie a focal point.
Work to complete the Riverside improvements includes the creation of a new play area at the car park, path-widening and wall repairs, and new street furniture.
The railings will be repainted and there will be extensive planting to make full use of the beautiful River Ericht running through the town.
The work will also complement recent investments made in the town’s path network and will link to the Cateran Trail, ensuring a healthy flow of tourists to local businesses.
New seating and picnic areas will be provided, and the viewing area at the Cargill’s Leap beauty spot where minister and covenanter Donald Cargill escaped government troops by jumping over the river’s rocky gorge will be enhanced.
In a bid to establish year-round appeal for the area, a Snowdrop Trail will be created as part of general landscaping improvement. Money for the scheme has come from the Scottish Government’s Town Centre Regeneration Fund and Tactran.
The work is deemed especially important because thousands of enthusiasts are set to descend on the town next summer for the Junior Ryder Cup at Blairgowrie Golf Club.
The proposals also focus on Wellmeadow, where work will include the introduction of new planting, borders and containers, new seating and enhancements to the entrances and surrounding streets, and the installation of feature lighting on trees, with power points for future events.
Tourism signs on principal approach routes, junctions and gateways will be designed to give visitors a warm welcome. Improvements will be made to the bus stance to help traffic flow, pedestrian safety and accessibility for buses.
Perth and Kinross Council enterprise and infrastructure convener, Councillor John Kellas, said: “The improvements will significantly enhance the natural and built heritage of Blairgowrie, making it a more attractive place for residents, tourists and visitors.
“It will encourage people to stop and spend time in the town. Footfall will increase as a result, bringing more money into local businesses.
“The plans will strengthen the local economy of Blairgowrie and ensure that it remains a thriving and vibrant rural town that people want to visit.”
However, aspects of the plans have not been welcomed by everyone, with community councillor Catherine Robertson angered by a plan to move a popular salmon statue from Riverside to the Wellmeadow.
The council said that it was due to repeated vandalism, but locals wanted it to remain in its original place, overlooking the Ericht.
She also claims that existing traffic problems will be increased and the plans do nothing to resolve the issue of the dangerous junction at Terminus Street. Officials and councillors will decide whether to accept the proposals later this year.