Innerpeffray Library in Perthshire, Scotland’s oldest free lending library, is one of four projects which will benefit from a UK Government funding boost
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:
Aero Space Kinross (ASK) is a planned aviation, astronomy and space flight science centre, which will include an immersive 3D planetarium. It will 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 to 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 Chairman of Governors at Innerpeffray Library, Martyn Wade, said:
Councillor Murray Lyle, Leader of Perth & Kinross Council, said:
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.