The first step in an ambitious plan to bring big business and hundreds of new jobs to Perth has been taken.
The massive financial investment being made in the creation of a hub for the food and drink industry is seen as the key to the future prosperity of the city.
Developing the Perth Food and Drink Park could initially support up to 11 businesses and, once fully developed, aims to create and/or safeguard up to 400 jobs.
In the short term it will support up to 40 jobs in the ailing construction sector, with local firm I&H Brown undertaking the £1.64 million project.
During an exclusive interview with The Courier earlier this year, Perth and Kinross Council leader Ian Miller confirmed that “commercially sensitive” talks were already under way with major employers.
Work began in the city’s North Muirton area with a turf-cutting ceremony.
The park is just one element of a larger plan that aims to transform Perth into a small business powerhouse, by creating new and targeted industrial sites at locations across the city.
A new industrial estate will be created at Broxden, to the west of the city, with a completion date of 2018 set for the first major phase of that plan.
Huge new expansion of the Inveralmond Industrial Estate, towards Huntingtower, has also been identified and plans for that are being considered by the Scottish Government.
However, the focus was on the food and drink industry, with Mr Miller heralding a bright new dawn for business in the area.
“The industrial space we will provide on this site is a demonstration of Perth and Kinross Council’s commitment to support our local economy,” he said.
“The investment this park is expected to attract will not only benefit the city of Perth but also have a spin-off for smaller communities across the wider Perth and Kinross area where many of our suppliers of fresh produce are based.
“We have identified food and drink as an area of outstanding opportunity for growth and we are therefore committing substantial investment into developing this key business sector.”
He added: “I am sure that this development will act as a catalyst for growth.”
It is hoped that the North Muirton development will be completed in 2015.
The creation of the park has been made possible by the council’s Commercial Property Investment Programme (CPIP).
It aims to build on existing strengths and opportunities in key sectors such as food and drink, and support local economic growth by providing business space and infrastructure that will help to attract companies to locate and/or expand in Perth and Kinross.
Applications for external funding in the form of European grants and financial support from the Scottish Government have been made for potential additional investment in the park and other CPIP projects in the area.
Over a longer, 10-year period there will be efforts made to bring businesses to communities across the region, creating jobs and jump-starting economic growth.
It will begin with £3.5 million of investment in key projects in Perth, Kinross, Aberuthven, Crieff, Pitlochry and Alyth.