Almost £1 million could be spent on completely revitalising a Perthshire town and turning it into a tourist hub.
Details of an ambitious project aimed at regenerating Blairgowrie town centre have been unveiled following a lengthy consultation period.
One of the key areas of the initiative will be the creation of a “showpiece” environmental attraction at Riverside.
This will include upgrading the car park, relocating the play park, installing new seating and picnic areas and improving the viewing area at Cargill’s Leap a historic site where minister and covenanter Donald Cargill escaped government troops by jumping over the rocky gorge of the River Ericht.
The £820,000 project will also see the introduction of new signs and interpretation materials in a bid to make it more enticing for visitors and create a focus in Blairgowrie.
In a bid to establish year-round appeal for the area, a Snowdrop Trail will be created as part of general landscaping enhancement.
It is hoped the Riverside improvements will complement recent investments made to the town’s path network and will link to the Cateran Trail, making it a major tourism asset.
As well as completing the much-needed regeneration of the Riverside area, the proposals will focus on Wellmeadow, which is already the venue for a number of community events.
Work will include the introduction of new planting, borders and containers; new seating and enhancements to the entrances and surrounding streets; and the installation of feature lighting on trees, and power points for future events.
Efforts will even be made to give visitors a sense of arrival by installing new welcome and tourism signs on principal approach routes, junctions and gateways, as well as floral beds.
Within the town, improvements will be made to the bus stance to help traffic flow, pedestrian safety and accessibility for buses.
The total cost of the project is estimated to be just over £820,000, with the Scottish Government’s Town Centre Regeneration Fund and Tactran providing £626,000 of that.
Full details of the proposals will be set out before members of Perth and Kinross Council’s environment and infrastructure committee.
Convener, Councillor John Kellas, said the investment was “fantastic” news for residents of Blairgowrie and Rattray.
“The improvements will significantly enhance the natural and built heritage of Blairgowrie, making it a more attractive place for residents, tourists and visitors,” he said.
“It will encourage people to stop and spend time in the town. Footfall will increase as a result, bringing more money into local businesses.
“The plans will strengthen the local economy of Blairgowrie and ensure that it remains a thriving and vibrant rural town that people want to visit.”
With hundreds of sports fans set to descend on Perthshire in August next year for the Junior Ryder Cup at Blairgowrie Golf Club, Mr Kellas said he was keen to project a “positive and pleasant” image of the area across the world.
He said: “We have carried out extensive consultation with local groups and organisations in Blairgowrie about the improvements and the community is entirely behind them.
“I am sure this investment will secure the future success of Blairgowrie and I would like to thank everyone in the local community who took the time to take part in our consultations.
“I am delighted to be able to bring this regeneration project before committee for approval.
“This underlines the council’s determination to support our local communities, making them safe and welcoming places with prosperous, sustainable and inclusive economies.”