PERTH IS SPECIAL
Wrapped in breathtaking countryside, our beautiful city has a proud heritage and fantastic quality of life. An idyllic place for active life and wellbeing, with a city centre of great architecture, clean and open public spaces, and rich in food, culture and hospitality.
A PLACE TO EXPLORE AND ENJOY AS A TOURIST; A PLACE TO WORK AND BUILD A CAREER; AND A PLACE TO LIVE LIFE AND GROW AS A FAMILY.
Set on the banks of the stunning River Tay, the story of Perth, the place and our people has inspired writers, attracted royalty and been a source of local pride. A city with a medieval heart and modern facilities, but with a priceless and timeless tranquillity.
Long before Edinburgh, the ‘Fair City’ of Perth was the capital of Scotland. A transport hub connecting the country’s other great cities to the north, south, east and west, Perth’s story has been central to Scotland’s story for over a thousand years.
We are home to historic Scone Palace and the original site of the Stone of Destiny on which many Scottish Kings were crowned. From our Pictish origins, to the clan struggles and Jacobite uprisings, the battle of new ideas to the bravery of our local regiment the Black Watch, our city and our people have been history makers, playing a central role in the birth of our nation.
Our city has nurtured many of Scotland’s greatest pioneers, industrialists, artists and philanthropists, a place with long-standing trading links with our mainland European partners, and the enterprise that brought our national drink whisky to glasses around the globe.
But we are about more than our past and our natural beauty.
We are determined to create a new future and a new narrative for our city and wider region.
IT IS FOUNDED ON OUR GREAT HERITAGE AND HIGH QUALITY ASSETS: FROM OUR LOCAL FOOD AND DRINK TO THE CREATIVE ARTS; THE ACTIVE CONNECTION TO OUR HILLS AND LOCHS, TO THE RELAXED HOSPITALITY OF OUR RESTAURANTS.
But it is driven by a new dynamism - celebrating what makes us different; rediscovering and reinventing the wonderful hidden nooks and crannies of our city; embracing new culture and cultures; bringing in talent from across the globe; capitalising on the fresh economic opportunities of working with our partner Scottish cities; and sharing our growing prosperity with all of our communities.
“WE’RE PROUD TO BE SCOTLAND’S NEWEST
CITY AND CULTURAL DESTINATION. A GREAT AND SAFE PLACE TO GROW AND BRING UP YOUR FAMILY.”
We will use our renewed pride, confidence and aspiration to make Perth one of Europe’s great small cities. A sustainable city with a growing and healthy economy to match our healthy environment. An enterprising city embracing the digital age driven by Perth’s new pioneers. A city for everyone to live life well.
Perth is a small city, but big on personality.
We’re comfortable in our quirks and local identity. But we have a confident outlook and ambition that extends far beyond our city and regional boundaries, collaborating with others to bring shared success.
We’re a place with something special for every taste. A city in a region surrounded by contrasts. Close-knit small towns and villages, mountains and islands, forests, lochs and glens sit next to the cool, fresh-faced modernity of Dundee further along the Tay.
PERTH IS A CITY TRULY AT THE HEART OF SCOTLAND. THREE IN FOUR OF SCOTLAND’S POPULATION LIVE
WITHIN 90 MINUTES OF PERTH.
This is an ideal location to stay, whether exploring the city itself, the diverse attractions and activities across Perthshire and Tayside, the Highlands, Glasgow and Edinburgh, or the wider country.
We are part of a unique collaboration of Scotland’s seven cities working with the Scottish Government to target external investment, business opportunities and new jobs. Scotland’s city regions account for about half of our economic output.
Major companies such as energy giant SSE, financial services business Aviva, and transport operator Stagecoach Group have substantial bases in our city. We have significant potential to support other major employers through our broad skills mix, high quality education opportunities, and central location.
Along with Dundee, Angus and north Fife, we are an integral part of the Tay Cities region with ambitious plans to sustainably grow our economy, further upskill our workforce and create higher wage jobs.
From creating new multi-million-pound development opportunities to major public investment in road infrastructure, we will build on our strengths to benefit all parts of the economy and our communities.
Perth is one of the fastest growing cities in Scotland. The stunning £1 billion Bertha Park village being developed by Springfield Properties will bring 3,000 homes, a new high school along with commercial, leisure and community space. Inspired by this confidence, other recent major investors in the area include Porsche, Jaguar Land Rover and Bellway Homes.
THE JOURNEY HAS BEGUN
RESTORATION OF PERTH’S RIGHTFUL CITY STATUS IN 2012 WAS A DEFINING MOMENT. IT SIGNALLED A RENEWED AMBITION FOR OUR CITY AND OUR CITIZENS. ONCE AGAIN, THE BUSINESS AND CIVIC LEADERS OF OUR CITY CAME TOGETHER TO DEVELOP A NEW VISION AND ROADMAP FOR PERTH.
In 2016, a Perth City Plan was developed by the Perth City Development Board, a private sector led partnership backed by Perth and Kinross Council. The aim was to create a new chapter in our city’s story through investment in culture, public realm and infrastructure. The city’s bid to become the UK City of Culture also demonstrated an ambition and an appreciation of Perth’s incredible heritage and artistic assets.
The Perth City Plan is backed by £400 million of public investment and includes the creation of two world class visual arts attractions in the City Hall and Perth Museum and Art Gallery.
Perth is already undergoing a creative regeneration. The cornerstone of that drive has been a £16 million transformation of Perth’s Edwardian Theatre and the addition of a 200-capacity performance studio to encourage new writing, music and dance. Together with the £20million Perth Concert Hall, it is drawing a new audience from both inside and outside our city. And our cultural transformation plan for the future includes a bid to bring back the Stone of Destiny.
We have a clear sense of direction and a determination to do things differently. Most importantly, we will make our voice heard and our fantastic city a place to remember.
Today, Perth City Development Board is establishing a Place Marketing Group. Led by the private sector, it will champion our leadingedge initiatives, harness the spirit and passion for change in our communities, and tell our story to Scotland and the world beyond.
TOGETHER, WE WILL ENSURE THAT PERTH DEVELOPS AS A ROLE MODEL SMALL CITY ON A UK AND EUROPEAN LEVEL, SPREADING THE BENEFITS THROUGHOUT OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND WIDER REGION.
THE NEW STORY FOR PERTH
OUR NEW STORY EXPLAINS THE SCOPE OF PERTH’S FANTASTIC OFFER AND CAPTURES THE ESSENCE OF OUR AREA.
It provides the overarching context for the wide-ranging initiatives underway as part of the plans for Perth and its wider region. Our ambition is to become one of Europe’s great small cities, a cultural and commercial centre and a major tourist destination with an unrivalled quality of life.
This narrative will influence how we develop our offer through the way we communicate, what we build, the environment we create and the way we behave.
Whilst some elements describe what we have and the way we are now, they also signpost what we want and need to be in the future. Our approach is both aspirational and rooted in the reality that can be seen today.
OUR THEMES WILL HELP ALL OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS TELL OUR INCREDIBLE STORY.
CULTIVATING AN INDEPENDENT CULTURE
Welcome to a new age of independents.
Perth has character and a culture of its
own. We have big brands on the high street, but we’re not defined by them.
“QUALITY
FOOD AND DRINK PRODUCERS, PLUS INDEPENDENT SHOPS AND PLACES TO EAT, MAKES FOR SOME SPECIAL EXPERIENCES”
WE LOVE OUR QUALITY, SPECIALIST INDEPENDENTS AND WANT MORE OF THEM. TAKE A WALK DOWN
GEORGE STREET WHERE ALMOST EVERY SHOP IS OWNED BY INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES WHO ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT THEIR PRODUCTS.
From deli foods and designer jewellery, to bikes and bridal wear, coffee beans and buttons, to sporranmaking and our city’s kilted barber. It sums up our city: boutique, brilliantly diverse and always firstclass quality produced by people who love what they do and pour their hearts into it. We know that our customers’ experience is everything.
We’re special because we do things our way and we do things well. We’re cultivating a hub of excellence, creativity and innovation: sowing and growing our own both in business, arts and culture. This is illustrated by our record number of SMEs, new entrepreneurs, and food and drink producers linked to the land.
For families, for visitors, for students and for businesses, Perth is more than a place, it’s a way of life. Astonishingly beautiful, where only the best is good enough. Where the quality of the finish is excellent from our wide open and accessible public spaces to our immaculate golf courses, with the world-renowned St Andrews and Gleneagles on the doorstep.
WHERE PEOPLE MAKE MEMORIES AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS OUTDOORS IN THE FRESH AIR. WHERE YOU CAN ESCAPE THROUGH BEAUTIFUL WALKS AROUND OUR NORTH AND SOUTH INCHES OR UP KINNOULL HILL, EXPLORE OUR COUNTRYSIDE BY BIKE, ENJOY WATERSPORTS ON OUR RIVERS AND LOCHS.
We eat and drink well because our rural economy is thriving. We boast fine local produce from Perthshire’s rich farmland; our Highland Spring mineral water; salmon, the king of fish, and trout from our lochs and rivers. We have a fantastic larder and we want as many people as possible to taste the quality of Perth.
Our world-renowned distilleries and whisky heritage visitor centres showcase some of Scotland’s finest examples of the ‘water of life’, sourced from the crystal clear waters of our countryside. Perthshire boasts Scotland’s oldest distillery, Glenturret, in Crieff, as well as the country’s smallest, Edradour, at Pitlochry. And we are home to the UK and United States’ favourite scotch whiskies.
It’s a place people will seek out and choose to actively discover. A place for experiences, romance and new family stories. Stories that people will hear and share. A visit to Scotland will be incomplete without experiencing Perth. Indeed, Perth can be the starting point that links the whole Scottish experience.
We already have one of Scotland’s strongest outdoor events portfolios, from music and food festivals to major sporting events around golf, cycling, horse trials and car rallying. We will build on that with an even more ambitious events programme delivered with professional panache.
Our marketing has a sense of quality and class, targeting audiences with identified spend, locally, nationally and internationally.
WE WILL ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION AND COLLABORATION, LINKING OUR MUSEUMS, PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMMING AND BUSINESSES WITH IMAGINATIVE THEMES AND STORYTELLING, CAPITALISING ON OUR RICH HERITAGE, ANCIENT AND MODERN.
Our calendar will be full and public spaces will be animated with artisan traders and cultural entertainment. Visitors will return to be surprised and delighted by these unexpected, high quality experiences.
Our festivals will be focused on the visitor journey.
Aspirational and inquisitive crowds of younger families will come to make new relationships and engage with our spaces and places.
We will use our events to give a taste of the wider regional offer, linking to the land. We will bring the countryside into the city, from our independent produce and food trails to our outdoor adventure sports, breathtaking scenery, wildlife, fauna and flora that our visitors and residents can actively enjoy.
From our immaculate parks to the cleanliness of our streets, visitors leave with a sense of what makes Perth very, very special. A sense of perfection. A place where trips become stays and a place to call home.
OUR LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS
THE CITY OF PERTH IS PERFECTLY POSITIONED. A HUB IN SCOTLAND’S STRATEGIC TRANSPORT NETWORK THAT LINKS GLASGOW, EDINBURGH, DUNDEE, ABERDEEN AND INVERNESS. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.
Connectivity is key. Perth is a gem, but not a hidden one. It is well linked nationally and internationally through its proximity to major airports, and the motorway and railway networks.
Perth is a wonderful place to visit in its own right, with scores of local attractions, such as Scone Palace or its famous Black Watch museum at Balhousie Castle or Perth Racecourse, the most northerly horse racing track in Britain.
But it is also connected geographically with the huge treasures of the wider region, including the amazing experience offered by the new V&A Museum of Design in Dundee; and the internationally famous golf courses of Gleneagles, Carnoustie and St Andrews.
“A PLACE SURROUNDED BY BEAUTY WITH EDINBURGH, GLASGOW AND DUNDEE ON OUR DOORSTEP”
With easy access to national parks, major galleries and stunning golf courses, this is a small city of significance, surrounded by a majestic natural landscape yet also, by contrast, near to a myriad of tiny villages and close communities. Our environment mirrors our shared sense of community; a place we can all enjoy and we want to share.
Businesses here enjoy all of Scotland’s key attributes, without having to pay the higher land
and property prices faced in the major cities – making Perth a highly attractive option whether locating, relocating or investing.
Perth is already one of the UK’s leading cities for digital connectivity, with almost 100% of premises in the city having access to Superfast Broadband.
By the end of 2018, more than 90% of the wider Perth and Kinross region will have access to fibre broadband, delivering data speeds of between 24MBps and 80MBps.
Our message is that you can work in a city and escape from it all.
Come home to Perth.
A LIVING OASIS
Perth is a place where life feels good. Stunning scenery, fresh air pursuits, culture and heritage, all within easy access of Scotland’s major cities.
We’ve kept this to ourselves for too long. Now the world’s waking up to the beauty of Perth.
Perth is an oasis with green spaces, wide skies and clear water. Incredible buildings, a vibrancy as well as a safe sense of continuity and an enviable list of assets makes Perth an aspirational place to visit, work and live.
“WHERE THE OUTDOORS ARE LITERALLY OUTSIDE YOUR DOOR AND THE CHOICE OF ACTIVITIES IS AMAZING”
The magnificent River Tay, Scotland’s longest river, flows through our city and countryside like a blue thread sewing both together. A sight to enjoy and a great opportunity to lead active lives, with the potential to bring a beautiful leisure experience to the heart of Perth. From the world famous Birnam Oak to the Hermitage Douglas Fir, one of Britain’s tallest trees, there’s a reason why Perthshire is called Big Tree Country.
With outdoor sports and adventure activities in mountains, glens, lochs and forests, people spend quality time, have better relationships and feel healthier. Not only is this a place to invest in financially, but a place to take time out and invest in yourself.
There are very few places in the UK offering the quality of life available here in Perth. A place that we want to see grow in a sustainable way, protecting our region’s natural beauty and sharing the benefits as we expand and move forward.
Perth remains attractive where similar beauty spots have become overcrowded with over development and clogged up roads. The need to live outside of cities usually adds wasted journey time at either end of the working day. Not so in Perth. Our proximity to business areas means that workers can have a great and active life at home without sacrificing hours on trains or in the car.
“THE BEST AND GREENEST PLACE TO LIVE IN SCOTLAND”
We are attracting new, young families seeking out our fantastic schools and education and high quality, affordable homes. This is one of the safest places to bring up children, surrounded by incredible scenery and also a wonderful place to enjoy your happy and healthy golden years.
THEATRES, CINEMAS, GALLERIES, CONCERT HALLS, PARKS AND COMMUNITY SPACES, WALKING AND CYCLING PATHS, SCHOOLS AND LEISURE CENTRES. THESE ARE ALL ASSETS WE VALUE AND INVEST IN.
These are the nice things that make life worth living. These are not luxuries but essentials in our city, where families grow with unlimited access to opportunities of knowledge, sport, art, music. Here, everyone has the chance to discover their creativity and full potential.
And it is a place where our grownup children will return with their own families to rediscover their Perth roots.
Beyond our three main themes, there’s a need to raise our game, to be self-confident - to dare to show off and be a bit sassy. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REACH OUT AND CREATE A COMPELLING INVITATION TO THOSE WHO APPRECIATE THE QUALITY THINGS IN LIFE: COME AND EXPERIENCE WHAT MAKES PERTH SIMPLY SPECIAL.
‘THE BIG IDEA’ YOUR PERFECT PLACE AND SPACE
THIS IS THE STARTING POINT OF A POSITIVE NEW NARRATIVE THAT DESCRIBES OUR AMBITION AND UNDERPINS OUR VALUES. OUR STORY CELEBRATES EVERYTHING THIS CITY HAS TO OFFER, CAPTURING THE
UNIQUENESS OF A PLACE WITH A RARE QUALITY TO ITS SPACES AND EXPERIENCES.
We will bring imagination and creativity to showcase Perth and all it provides as the most fantastic environment to grow a family in Scotland.
We will seek out living characters, ambassadors and success stories of special people with lives well lived in Perth. Individuals who stand out and shape the place, proud to represent a city that shaped their life.
By accentuating the positive, Perth can confidently showcase a cabinet of incredible assets; fine heritage, great architecture, rich culture and a beautiful and healthy environment.
WELL CONNECTED, IN THE GREEN HEART AND AT THE CENTRE OF SCOTLAND. THIS IS A PURE AND POSITIVE PLACE TO LIVE, VISIT, WORK AND LEARN. A TRULY SPECIAL PLACE. PERTH - LIVE LIFE WELL.
