The £500 million Perth West development will be the first in Scotland using an integrated approach to logistics, energy, transport and housing - all based on sustainable technologies.

The John Dewar Lamberkin Trust, which submitted a full planning application last May, had previously described the project as the ‘largest carbon-neutral development’ in Scotland. Plans for a national innovation business park, leisure and educational provision supported by a smart energy grid are also included.

An economic analysis submitted with the application shows that the investment will support 1,285 construction jobs, generating a one-off boost of £118.7 million. In the longer term the 25-hectare Perth Eco Innovation Park in Perth West is forecast to contribute £65m GVA per year to the Perthshire economy once complete and create over 1,000 FTE skilled jobs.

The residential section of the development will employ a Designing Streets approach to promote active travel and public transport. Three neighbourhood centres, connected by a pedestrian and cycle-friendly street network in each neighbourhood will offer local facilities and bus connections.

Based around key elements, Perth West will provide:

• a mobility hub and logistics centre, providing integrated last-mile delivery services and electric vehicle charging as well as a car sharing hub and a network of cycle paths, electric bike docks and low-carbon public transport options.
• a national eco-innovation business park for enterprises and research bodies, to act as a national knowledge centre. There is potential for the use of autonomous vehicles, AI and full fibre to create original solutions which can be rolled out to the rest of the UK.
• an innovation highway linking to the centre of Perth with user-activated lighting and power providing real-time data to facilitate understanding of the use of public and private transport and to enable future provision to be better planned
• sustainable housing and public services such as leisure and educational facilities.

The development will be delivered in phases from 2022 onwards.

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.”