A new £3.5 million arts hub will address a “brain drain” in Perthshire’s creative sector and generate jobs, council chiefs have claimed.
Ambitious plans to transform a derelict primary school have been revealed by Perth and Kinross Council.
The old St John’s building on Stormont Street, which has stood empty for six years, will be turned into a home for artists and creative industries, as part of a wider investment in the city’s cultural offerings.
The move, which will see classrooms converted into studios, workshops and galleries, will provide space for up to 24 artists and 12 businesses.
It is expected to generate work for about 20 people during and after construction.
A cafe will also be created as part of the project which is being led by the local authority, in close partnership with WASPS, Scotland’s largest provider of creative studios space.
Key stakeholders including Perth College, Perth Contemporary Arts Trust and the Perth Visual Arts Forum, are also guiding the venture.
The three-storey building has been vacant since its closure in 2011. Built in 1928, it is a typical traditional red brick school with about half-an-acre of floorspace.
The playground will be made into a community garden and a privately funded “innovation lab” will be created inside the school building.
The hub will support business incubation and acceleration for around 35 companies in the creative industries, including areas such as digital technologies and computer software.
Depute chief executive Jim Valentine said: “Creative Exchange Perth is an ambitious project being taken on by Perth and Kinross Council and our private and public sector partners, which recognises the importance of the creative industries in growing the local economy.
“Perth is currently the only city in Scotland that doesn’t have affordable studio and office space for its creative people. This has contributed to a brain drain in creativity in Perth and Kinross.
“Working with our partners, the Creative Exchange facility will provide an incubator to nurture talent and retain these key skills in the area. The corralling of talent into a dedicated work space will facilitate a new approach of creative networking and collaboration.”
Mr Valentine added: “The new facility will also promote digital and creative skills, create jobs in the creative and knowledge-based sectors and use the power of culture to forge stronger, more resilient communities.”
The council is investing £2.7 million into the project with a further £335,000 from the Scottish Government’s regeneration capital grant fund.
Elsewhere, £250,000 has been awarded by the European Regional Development Fund, £100,000 from the Community Investment Fund and £150,000 has been awarded to WASPS.
The council hopes the work will strengthen Perth’s case for UK City of Culture 2021.
