Perth & Kinross has approved the £500m Perth West development, the first in Scotland using an integrated approach to logistics, energy, transport and housing – based on sustainable technologies.
Alexander Dewar, trustee of the developers, John Dewar Lamberkin Trust, said: “Our vision for Perth West delivers a platform for highly skilled jobs in Perth, combined with zero carbon public transport and logistics, carless neighbourhoods and renewable energy infrastructure.”
Perth West comprises three core elements – Perth Innovation Highway, Perth Eco-Innovation Business Park and the Lamberkin Village – and is supported by the DR.ECO Energy Park, which is still in the planning stages.
The Perth Innovation Highway is an energy, data and road corridor connecting a new junction off the A9 to the centre of Perth, enabling businesses, public transport operators and residents to access a gigabit-capable full-fibre network, low-carbon energy and mobility services.
The Perth Eco-Innovation Business Park will cover 25-hectares of the site on the south-western edge of Perth. Initially it will host a range of infrastructure and commercial and industrial facilities in a Living Lab environment to support the city’s transition to a low-carbon economy.
Alongside the business park, some 1,500 homes are planned, alongside an 18-hectare heritage park to celebrate the Battle of Tippermuir, a network of pathways and cycling tracks throughout the development and into Perth, linking with public transport routes and electric bike docks at so-called ‘mobility hubs’, as well as electric vehicle charging and car sharing facilities.
Murray Lyle, leader of Perth and Kinross Council, confirmed the planning committee’s approval and said: “Perth West is one of three strategic projects identified in the Council’s 2019 Local Development Plan.
“This project comes forward in the context of the Perth & Kinross Climate Emergency Response and the post-Covid economic recovery and is supported by £5m of Tay Cities Deal funding.”
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