Plans have been lodged to transform a derelict Perth school into an innovative £3.5 million arts hub, aimed at nurturing up-and-coming talent.
Council chiefs want to breathe new life into the boarded-up St John’s Primary on Stormont Street.
If approved, the building will become a “creative exchange”, providing work spaces and studios for local artists.
It is hoped the centre will go some way to addressing a “brain drain” in the region’s creative sector.
The team behind Perth’s City of Culture bid found that local artists were honing their skills in the area, but then moving away to advance their careers in places like Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Famous Grouse owner Edrington is investing £500,000 into the project, which will be spent creating an ideas centre.
The new venture will be managed by the Workshop and Artists Studio Provision Scotland (WASPS).
Now the local authority has submitted its planning application for the move.
The proposal will go to public consultation over the coming days, before a decision is taken by planning chiefs.
In submitted paperwork, a council spokesman said that the area was zoned for housing in the Local Development Plan.
“Perth and Kinross Council have carried out two feasibility studies to provide small housing units on the site,” he said. “Neither of these have proved viable.
“Sale of the building to a private developer was not successful either.”
He said: “The empty school building soon became a target for vandals and also an eyesore for the area.”
The spokesman added: “The council and WASPS have carried out several public meetings and consultations in the past two years.
“The majority of the responses were positive and the public was in favour of the development.
“Redevelopment of the school as an art hub is also welcomed by the arts community of Perth, as there is no such facility within the area.”
In addition to the Famous Grouse cash, the Scottish Government is investing £335,000 into the Perth hub, with a further £250,000 from the European Regional Development Fund. The bulk of the project – £2.7m – comes from council cash.
Nationally, Scotland’s arts and creative industries employ tens of thousands of people. A recent report found there were around 480 such companies in Perth and Kinross, employing approximately 1,200 people – just 1.2% of the national figure.
