The money is part of the UK Government's £150 million commitment to the Tay Cities Deal. The £3 million was originally allocated to acquire the RM Condor Airfield. Following the positive news earlier this year that the MoD is to retain the airfield, this money will now be reinvested in full to fund four projects in Tayside.
The new funding will support the following initiatives:
- £1.6 million for Aero Space Kinross to develop a year-round visitor attraction in the heart of Scotland;
- £1 million to establish the Crieff International Highland Centre;
- £100,000 to develop the heritage and cultural experience at Innerpeffray Library; and
- £300,000 for the University of St Andrews Stretch Dome Simulator for research and innovation into climate change, coastal ecology, clean energy and low carbon.
Aero Space Kinross (ASK) is a planned aviation, astronomy and space flight science centre, which will include an immersive 3D planetarium. It will be help support the delivery of the project and STEM education in Scotland.
The Crieff International Highland Centre will be a world centre for highland sports, dance and music.
Innerpeffray Library in Crieff is Scotland's oldest free lending library. The funding will allow the library improve its offer to the local community by adding a nature walk, and upgrading their education facilities and visitor information.
The Stretch Dome Simulator at University of St Andrews Eden Campus is a world-leading environmental and energy research demonstrator facility. It gives scientists the ability to test theories and generate solutions in the areas of climate change, clean energy, low carbon, food security, advanced materials, coastal ecology, marine mammals and underwater acoustics. This funding comes on top of an existing £24.5 million investment from the UK Government in the Eden Campus as part of the Tay Cities Deal.
UK Government Minister for Scotland Colin Clark made the announcement today [25 October] on a visit to Innerpeffray Library. Mr Clark said:
The Tay Cities Deal will transform the region, boosting jobs and helping the economy to thrive across Dundee, Fife, Angus and Perth and Kinross.
It is great news for Angus that RM Condor is to continue as a military base, reinforcing our commitment to a strong defence presence in Scotland. It employs a large number of people, and makes a hugely significant contribution to the local community. This also means the UK Government is able to invest £3 million in four fantastic new projects across Tayside.
From space education to cutting-edge science, these projects will make a real difference. I was pleased to make the announcement at Innerpeffray Library, Scotland's oldest free lending library, which is helping to safeguard our unique Scottish heritage.
This funding is part of the UK Government's £150 million investment in the Tay Cities Deal. Through the UK city region and growth deal programme we have committed more than £1.4 billion to city and growth deals across Scotland, helping to create tens of thousands of Scottish jobs in the years to come.
The Chairman of Governors at Innerpeffray Library, Martyn Wade, said:
Innerpeffray is a unique library in a wonderful part of Scotland. We are delighted to receive this support which will help to ensure that more people can discover and enjoy visiting this very special place in the heart of Perthshire.
Councillor Murray Lyle, Leader of Perth & Kinross Council, said:
The news of this funding announcement for these four projects is welcome. I hope that this funding will serve each of the projects well, and will help them all move forward with achieving their individual aims and objectives; bringing much needed investment to rural areas within Perth and Kinross, St Andrews and the broader Tay cities area.
The wider city Tay Cities Deal includes £26.5 million of UK Government funding to be invested specifically in Angus. Discussions on where this will be used are on-going, with a focus on a Clean Growth Hub, developing a low carbon network and investing in agri tech innovation. There is also an additional £1 million being invested in boosting broadband speeds for people and businesses in Angus through the Deal.
The Tay Cities Region Deal is being funded by UK and Scottish Governments, each providing £150 million of new funding; additional private and public sector funding will increase this by another £400 million giving a £700 million City Region Deal delivering significant long-term benefits to the region's economy.
