There are turning points in history which can only be truly appreciated with the passing of time; with a bit of luck, 2017 may prove to be such for Perth and Kinross.
Hopefully in the not too distant future the perceived wisdom for social historians will be that the Tay Cities Deal was the moment the district shook off the past and plunged into a bright new economic and cultural future.
For many years the Fair City has been quietly living on past glories, a genteel town of undoubted historic significance quietly gliding along as the modern world largely passed it by.
If the vibrant future predicted comes into being it will be recognised that it was the Tay Cities Deal and all the associated projects that propelled the city to new heights, while capitalising on its ancient virtues.
In that city of the future people will flock to Perth to see the reinvented city hall and the world-famed cultural centre it houses.
The Stone of Destiny will triumphantly return to Perth to be housed in either the city hall or the revamped museum, bringing with it the magic of royal history.
The Perth of years to come will thrive and grow, many more thousands of people will live and work in an expanded city made possible by new infrastructure and the new Tay crossing upriver from Perth.
At certain points this would have seemed a pipe dream – but just as the V&A is taking shape in Dundee, silencing the doubters – this new Perth can only be matter of time if the deal bid wins the necessary government financial backing.
It may seem a near-utopian vision of the future but it is time for Perth to think big and start the process of building for the years to come.
