Planning chiefs have moved to reassure locals after construction of a £24 million community and leisure centre in Blairgowrie was approved.
Councillors formally gave the green light to plans for the new Blairgowrie Recreation Centre at a meeting on Wednesday.
It comes several years after the project was first proposed.
The centre will replace the existing facility on the campus of Blairgowrie High School and will feature a swimming pool, four-court sports hall, gymnasium, fitness suite, dance studio, classroom, changing facilities and an external artificial sports pitch.
Construction will take place in two phases.
The old leisure centre will be demolished but will remain open until the new building can be used.
Councillors unanimously approved the plans after planning officers described the existing centre as “old” and failing to “suit modern-day needs”.
Councillor Claire McLaren described the new building as “a first-class, iconic sports facility”, while others said it had been a “long time coming”.
Concerns over parking and construction
Some councillors raised concerns on issues such as parking and the impact construction will have on both the school during term time, and residents.
Councillor Bob Brawn said: “During the construction phase, with the site being out of bounds to the public, there will be an impact on the area that would certainly be used by school kids. Are there any plans to manage that?”
Council officers said they have been working closely with the school, Live Active Leisure and the public on the plans and how best to reduce disruption during construction.
Councillors were told there will be safe spaces for kids to keep them away from the construction site, and there will be no impact on PE lessons during term time.
Councillor Ian James highlighted the parking fears but was told that during events like swimming galas – most likely to take place in evenings and weekends – the existing car parks will be available for use.
The new facility was initially meant to open in 2020, however this was halted after £3m was removed from the budget.
But £8.9m was put towards the project by Perth and Kinross Council last October.
A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: “This was a landmark decision for the people of Blairgowrie and shows our commitment to our communities.
“This state-of-the art centre will provide long-lasting benefits to the health and wellbeing of residents in the area but will also be built to Passivhaus standards, so it is as environmentally-friendly as it can be.
“It has taken a long time to get to this stage but I am delighted work can now begin in earnest on delivering the new Recreation Centre.”
Conversation