A milestone for an ambitious riverside regeneration project has been celebrated, as the scheme moves further towards its realisation.
Last year the Scottish Government Town Centre Regeneration Fund awarded Blairgowrie and Rattray Regeneration Company (BARRC) £1.5m to build a new visitor centre and a hydro-electric project on the River Ericht.
The cash was subject to a series of conditions and supporters of the initiative gathered on the site where the visitor centre will be built to celebrate the release of the funding.
The visitor centre, designed by 7N Architects of Edinburgh, will be a striking modern building with a low carbon footprint designed to exploit the “living river” theme.
It will act as a showcase for renewable energy, ecology and local produce for which the area is famous.
It will be equipped to house audio-visual displays interpreting the wildlife, history, fruit-growing and other aspects of the area.
The centre will be built beside the River Ericht with a panoramic view of the renowned salmon river and will be landscaped to safeguard flora and fauna.
The internal design will be flexible by the use of moveable screens and there will be three main areas — an exhibition area, retail space and a cafe with an outdoor terrace.
It is hoped the centre will attract about 20,000 visitors a year and, as far as possible, all building work will be undertaken by local contractors.
It is also proposed to install a small 50Kw screw turbine at the north end of Oakbank Mill Lade, close to the existing weir and the electricity generated will be sold to the National Grid.Project’s significanceThe proceeds — around £30,000 a year — will be given to the community to help with other regeneration projects in the local area.
The leasing agreement negotiated with landowners, Thomas Thomson (Blairgowrie) Ltd and the owners of Ashbank Lodge, runs for 35 years.
This should allow the system to generate a large sum of money for the community over that period.
It is expected that construction work on the hydro scheme will begin in July and the operation completed by late December, when electricity will be exported to the grid for the first time.
BARRC has also established a local community office, One Voice, in Upper Mill Street providing a base for the main organisations of volunteers working for the regeneration of the town.
Apart from co-ordinating all the BARRC projects, it is open for use by any of the community groups. BARRC now has 366 members and 100 volunteers.
A website is being developed to provide the One Voice group with a hub linked to each of the participating organisations.
Murdo Fraser MSP said, “I congratulate all volunteers involved in BARRC who have pushed ahead with these initiatives in such a short space of time and for no personal reward.”