Perth

Perth City Centre
Friarton Bridge
Theatre
Perthshire

About Perth

Perth is the former capital of Scotland and Scotland’s newest city, serving the 150,000 population of Perthshire and Kinross-shire. The city’s key strengths today include:

  • its location at the heart of Scotland, with easy access to the major Scottish cities, UK and international markets via road, rail and air
  • its setting on the banks of the Tay, high quality townscape and outstanding natural environment
  • its strong commitment to community and partnership working
  • a strong business base, with FTSE100 and other top companies represented in the city
  • key sector strengths in tourism, food and drink, renewables, energy and financial services
  • a new university and a successful college
  • a strong performing arts offer, with the world class Perth Concert Hall and redevelopment of Perth Theatre under way
  • a rich history and cultural heritage
  • popular city centre shopping with great independent retailers
  • a strong food and drink offer
  • excellent quality of life

But we have also identified opportunities for improvement and new sources of growth:

  • More knowledge-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to diversify the local economy and accelerate growth
  • A more vibrant and competitive business base to increase the number of high-wage professional, scientific and technical jobs
  • Tackling pockets of persistent poverty in some parts of the city, ensuring that the whole city benefits from economic growth
  • Perth College UHI is a vital asset: we need to encourage it to grow and develop, helping Perth to become a true university city
  • Perth needs to make more of its rich history and invest in its cultural attractions
  • We need more quality hotels and additional facilities for conference and events
  • We have an attractive historic city centre, but we need to improve aspects of the visitor experience– especially at night - and encourage more people to live in the heart of the city
  • We need to make more of our great natural assets, especially the river Tay and the surrounding countryside, for tourism and recreation
  • The speed, quality and frequency of the rail service to Edinburgh needs to improved.
  • The need the land to build 11,000 new homes by 2028