£500 million Scots town masterplan approved by councillors

The £500m Perth West development masterplan has been unanimously approved by councillors this week.

Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) expects to be the first developer on site next year with the construction of an A9 underpass to the site from Tweed Place and employment land, marking the start of a city expansion that could last 30 years.

Moving the plans for approval on Wednesday, April 23, Economy and Infrastructure Committee convener Grant Laing asked that concerns about traffic and water management be fully addressed.

While the masterplan and planning permission in principle has been agreed, each part of the development will require separate detailed planning applications for approval.

The masterplan includes the Perth Eco-Innovation Business Park, a bus depot, a hydrogen fuelling/electric charging centre, the Perth Innovation Highway, up to 1500 homes, business units, shops, hotels, food and drinks outlets, a primary school potentially with sports pitches, a healthcare centre and a heritage park.

Presenting the masterplan for approval, PKC’s Developer Contributions officer Alasdair Finlayson said: “There’s an awful lot of potential development at Perth West. It could well be much longer than 15 years. We could be looking at tens of years, 30 years perhaps.”

He added: “The council is likely to be the first developer to begin developing at Perth West with the underpass infrastructure and the first 11 hectares of employment land. That’s programmed – subject to permission, getting statutory consent – some time next year.

“The planning permission in principle and the masterplan does not authorise any spades in the ground. That all needs to be applied for with future planning applications with matters specified.

“The council is likely to move on its part of the site next year. As for the rest of the site, that will be up to the John Dewar Lamberkin Trust and if they find a development partner to join them.”

Concerns were raised about existing traffic jams at peak times at Broxden Roundabout.

Lib Dem councillor Willie Robertson asked what would be done to “alleviate that problem and not exacerbate it further by the development of Perth West” and suggested measures “would have to be quite substantial”.

Conservative councillor Hugh Anderson described the traffic situation on the Perth bypass as “hopeless” and queued “solid” from Broxden back to Inveralmond during the Easter holidays.

Mr Finlayson said work to mitigate the impact of Perth West on Broxden would be “absolutely necessary” as “soon as the houses begin appearing”.

Convener Grant Laing was assured by PKC’s Developer Contributions officer the developer would be asked to pay the costs for the necessary works at Broxden.

The same development contribution trigger would also apply for improvements to the Tibbermore junction on the A9, just south of Broxden, which Strathallan ward Lib Dem councillor Alan Watt described as “very dangerous” and “should be a priority”.

The masterplan shows a “potential” overpass and grade separated junction.

Mr Finlayson said: “Transport Scotland rightly picked up on that and said they would insist it’s not ‘potential’, it’s ‘mandatory’.”

He said both Transport Scotland and Perth and Kinross Council deemed it “necessary”.

Mr Finlayson told councillors: “The council is not intending to provide that junction. It’s entirely needed as a consequence of the Perth West development so Perth West development will bear the cost of it.”

He explained the threshold for when that requirement would be triggered, would be either by the 1000th house, 2035 or 20 hectares of employment land – “the earliest of any of these”.

Cllr Watt also asked about the “choked artery” from Broxden Roundabout to Tweed Place and if there were “plans to improve that rode to cope with the extra traffic for the underpass”.

Mr Finlayson assured councillors mitigation measures would be agreed when development begins to come forward.

Independent councillor Colin Stewart raised concerns about water management and flood risk.

PKC’s Development Management and Building Standards manager Kristian Smith said the measures in place would see “increased control and limit of water discharging into watercourses”.

Moving the plans for approval, Economy and Infrastructure Committee convener Grant Laing said: “We will want particular attention paid to traffic infrastructure and water management issues, that they are fed back to the developer and we will work together with them to mitigate both these issues.”

He said: “This is an important long-term strategic development site for the further development of Perth and, over time, it will be developed for housing, employment uses, community facilities, medical and educational uses.

“Approval of a development masterplan is a vital planning obligation that has been set out in the comprehensive Section 75 agreement between the landowner and the council. It is vital because no applications for approval of further details can be submitted until the development masterplan has been approved.

“We are now close to the point when the council will lodge the planning application for the required underpass, road and employment land.”

In 2023 planning permission in principle was granted to The John Dewar Lamberkin Trust for the mixed-used development subject to a draft development masterplan.

The Perth West Development Masterplan was prepared by Turnberry and Brooks Murray Architects on behalf of The John Dewar Lamberkin Trust and The Dupplin Trust 2000.

The development is expected to bring 2300 jobs to Perth plus 3000 temporary construction jobs.