Project leaders want to breathe new life into a redundant printing plant at the centre of Coupar Angus, understood to be the site of a long-lost monastery.

The Printworx venture aims to transform the vacant Queen Street property into a hub for retailers, artists and other businesses.

The earmarked building has lain vacant since the Culross printing company closed its doors after 170 years in 2012.

The Coupar Angus Regeneration Trust (CART) took the wraps off its £1 million-plus redevelopment scheme at a meeting yesterday.

Draft plans for the building, including an artist’s impression produced using the Sims 4 video game, were put to selected artists and crafters at an invitation-only consultation event.

Before any work can begin on site, archaeologists will be drafted in to search for any trace of the medieval Coupar Angus Abbey.

A survey will be carried out to discover how much of the abbey’s foundations still remain. It was once regarded as the richest abbey in Scotland and many of its artefacts remain unfound.