A rallying cry has gone out to residents of a Highland Perthshire town in a bid to retain its tranquility and beauty.
One guest house owner is hoping to reignite the passion of locals in supporting his plans to breathe new life into Pitlochry town centre.
Disappointed by the lack of opposition to proposals that could see a budget hotel, small supermarket and private flats created on Atholl Road, James Tyrell has launched a new protest.
When the application submitted by Upland Developments goes in front of Perth and Kinross Council’s development control committee in the next few months, Mr Tyrell hopes to present his own alternative idea.
“It’s early days yet but we are hoping to shame them into killing this project and producing something which would be more appropriate for the whole of the town,” he said.
“What we do need quite badly is a town square and, with a backdrop of the old Zion Church, we could make the area around the old Bank House really fantastic.
“We are not saying that the developer shouldn’t develop but it should be an appropriate project.”
As part of the plans to improve the centre of the town, Mr Tyrell made it clear that the people leading his scheme would be more than happy to work with the Aviemore firm.
He added, “We aren’t doing this for us we are doing it for the people growing up here. They don’t want to stay in a town that has lost its looks and business.”
He expressed his disappointment at the “apathy” being shown by residents in objecting to the application as, when the same developer submitted plans for the town’s defunct curling rink, more than 130 people had their say against it.
A little more than half that number have voiced their opinion this time, but there is also an online poll at www.websmartmedia.net/Pitlochry_Planning in case there are people who still want to give their support.