The history and enduring allure of Scone Palace, traditional crowning place of Scots kings, is to be harnessed to drive forward Perth’s bid for official city status.
A distinct area, including miles of community and countryside outwith the wards of the town itself, will be presented to the Queen and her advisers before May’s deadline.
Under the rules of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee competition, leaders of all the town’s bidding for recognition in 2012 can select the area they believe best represents them.
And at a meeting on Wednesday, councillors will be asked to rubber-stamp the area selected by a steering group to form the basis of the town’s application.
With history and culture likely to be vital to any successful bid, the wider Perth will include Scone Palace, the Racecourse and both New and Old Scone.
It will also take in the Bertha Park development area on the town’s western edge, where thousands of new homes could be built, together with the communities of Almondbank and Pitcairngreen.
Kinfauns and Walnut Grove in the Carse of Gowrie will be included in Perth’s bid, while to the north, the boundary will travel as far up the A9 as Denmarkfield.
In all, the proposed defined area selected by a steering group houses a population, based on 2009 figures, of an estimated 52,000 people.Stiff competitionThe full field bidding for the prize will only become clear once the deadline for entries passes, but already 15 towns have declared an interest.
They are believed to be Reading, Bolton, Medway, Guildford, Colchester, Milton Keynes, Luton, Cheltenham, Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Middlesbrough, Ballymena in Northern Ireland and Welsh towns Llanelli and Wrexham.
They represent stiff competition and it has already been made clear that there is little prospect of more than one winner being announced, despite efforts to secure a winner from each of the home countries.
However, Perth and Kinross Provost Dr John Hulbert believes the chosen area gives Perth’s bid the best possible chance.
He told The Courier, “There are many areas surrounding Perth itself, such as Kinfauns and Walnut Grove and Scone in particular that all play a major role in the character of the town and how people view it.
“That is especially true with regards Scone Palace, which is the crowning place of Scots kings, and we felt it was important for Perth that it be included in the bid.
“With regards the areas to the west of Perth, in years to come the Bertha Park development could see the town expand well behind what are currently its official boundaries.”Role for ParliamentMeanwhile, the provost believes the Scottish Parliament will also have a key role to play if Perth’s bid is to be successful.
And he will visit Holyrood on Thursday to secure across-the-board support from every political party for its application and the signature of party leaders and senior leaders on a special charter that will be submitted to the Queen.
Dr Hulbert said, “We are keen to get the whole of Scotland behind Perth’s bid for official city status, especially politicians in Holyrood.
“The guidelines for the competition specifically say that comments from the devolved administrations will be welcomed and we aim to take this to the limit.
“I know that First Minister Alex Salmond and Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie will be there to meet with me and we will also be met by representatives from Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
“The idea is to secure all-party backing for our bid and I will have a charter for them to sign on the day.”
Dr Hulbert will meet MSPs on Thursday, after First Minister’s Questions.