An award-winning Tayside nightclub that was at the heart of 1990s music culture has changed hands after a 21-year golden era.
Perth businessman John Bryden is handing over the reins of the city’s Ice Factory nightclub, which has attracted some of the world’s biggest names in dance music.
While the original club, created in 1994, will continue in a new guise, the ground floor of the Shore Road property is the subject of a planning application designed to create eight individual workshop, storage and office units for lease.
“None of us are getting any younger and I felt the time was right to move on and focus on our other business interests in the city centre,” said the Centreglobal managing director.
“In a way we are turning back the clock on the Shore Road with the mixed business use proposals.
“It was my father, also John, who first bought the old Milne’s Cold Storage base back in the 1960s.”
Mr Bryden was unsuccessful in his bid to buy Perth City Hall from the council earlier this year.
He had hoped to use the hall for a range of community events and create student accommodation within the Lesser City Hall but the local authority was only prepared to lease, rather than sell, the long-vacant building.
“Looking back on our years at the Ice Factory, people scoffed when we decided to invest heavily in an off-city centre location,” Mr Bryden said.
“But it went on to claim Scottish and even UK nightclub of the year awards and the Rhumba Club attracted some of the biggest names in dance culture to a 1,300-capacity venue.
“Over the years a wide range of other businesses, such as taxi operators, hotels and bars and restaurants, have benefited from the Ice Factory and hopefully that will continue under the new operator.”
The Ice Factory club opens tonight under new management, with transport operating from three city centre locations.