The John Dewar Lamberkin Trust (JDLT), in partnership with Craigrossie Properties and Bellway Homes, has submitted a planning application for the change of use for 1.8 hectares of permitted commercial land situated at Cherrybank.

Subject to planning permission, the site will be developed for this final phase, delivering £336,000 towards affordable housing and £135,309 for wider transport infrastructure, in accordance with Perth & Kinross Council’s developer contributions policy.

As part of the wider Broxden development, the JDLT and Craigrossie concluded the disposal of about 3.7 hectares of employment land to local Perth businesses, Algo Business Centres and Drysdale Motorcycles. Detailed planning applications are anticipated this year to complete the site which first started in 2002. 

The developers have also secured consent for truck parking, hydrogen refuelling and a solar array on the remaining 1.8 hectares of land to support the council’s plans for a low carbon hub. Due to the roads’ infrastructure the progress on these sites is dependent on the outcome of the application that is now under consideration.

To support the economic recovery in a post COVID-19 world through clean, inclusive growth, the JDLT is also progressing its plans to bring forward the adjoining 10-hectare Perth Eco Innovation Park. 

This site is planned as the early phase of the Perth West development which is a strategic project within the 2019 Local Development Plan. Subject to planning approval, work on the Peth Eco Innovation Park is due to commence in 2021, with the potential to deliver 1,000 new jobs when complete and a GVA of £65 million per year.

Alexander Dewar, of the John Dewar Lamberkin Trust, said:  “We are determined to continue to play our part in supporting the economic growth of the city following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Working with industry, universities, the council and the Perth City Board we can achieve this through delivering land and infrastructure to enable investment in clean energy, smart mobility and digital networks, positioning Perth as one of Europe’s smartest, greenest cities.

“The Broxden development has taken nearly 20 years to complete and it has been fantastic to support the expansion plans of local businesses who have seen the site as a suitable location for investment.

“During this time it became increasingly apparent that parts of the commercial site were not meeting commercial business requirements and it has been through a constructive relationship with Perth & Kinross Council that we have been able to find uses for those parts of the site, aligned to the Council’s low carbon agenda.

“The site for which the change of use application has been submitted has not attracted any market interest as employment land. We believe this to be the result of a combination of access constraints, topography, dislocation from the Broxden Services Park and the prospects of the emerging Perth Eco Innovation Park.

“The popularity of the Charlotte Gate development has presented a timely opportunity to complete the development as we mark the next big steps for Perth’s economic strategy by delivering the Perth Eco Innovation Park and wider Perth West project. 

“Completing the Cherrybank development will enable much-needed capital to be directed towards realising the Perth Eco Innovation Park and all the associated benefits for the city and the region.”