Perthshire Advertiser
CENTRE PETITION PICKSUP THEPACE
A campaign to keep leisure and sports facilities at Glover Street and opposing Perth and Kinross Council’s Thimblerow plans has been reignited and is gaining momentum. The Save Perth’s Sports and Leisure Centre at Glover Street campaign held a stall...
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UNIQUITFEARS OVERBUSAXE
There are concerns University of the Highlands and Islands Perth students will have to quit their courses if proposed bus service changes are implemented. UHI Perth has written an open letter to Stagecoach requesting an urgent meeting and for planned...
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NOU-TURN ONBUSAXE
Stagecoach has doubled down on its decision to axe its X56 bus service as a cross-party coalition of politicians urged chiefs to postpone the move. MPS, MSPS and local councillors from across Perth and Kinrossshire and West Fife have written jointly...
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OUTOFTHE BLUE
A Perth music festival headlined by Blue has been postponed as organisers blamed another event for a slump in ticket sales. Replay was due to take place on August 15 and 16 but it has now been postponed until next May. Organisers have blamed a BBC...
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BATTERY BLAZE SPARKSCALL FOR ACTION
Calls have been made for action to address the growing risks posed by lithium batteries after another serious fire at a Perth recycling facility. Fire crews extinguished a blaze at Enva’s recycling centre at Friarton overnight at the weekend after a...
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PUTTHEBRAKESON SERVICECHANGES
Concerns have been raised over Stagecoach service changes in Perthshire which could leave rural communities with“reduced access to education, employment and essential services”. written to the chief executive of the bus firm over the changes which...
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NEWTASKFORCETO SUPPORTFAMILIES
Families under added pressure during the summer holidays are being urged not to struggle alone, as Perth and Kinross Antipoverty Taskforce launches a one-stop hub of support, activities and financial help. With schools shut, food and children’s...
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THE PAWS FOR CELEBRATION
Councillors have unanimously approved plans to restore and transform a Perthshire quarry site into a“first-of-its-kind”dog ranch. The gun dog training facility will include a veterinary practice, a dog hotel and training for young people interested in...
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MP BLASTS DELAYED PENSIONS
The lengthy delays in civil service pension payments have been branded “unacceptable” as it’s revealed residents are facing financial hardship after waiting months for payments. Perth and Kinross-shire MP Pete Wishart and the UK Government have...
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£150M BRIDGE SENDING OUT WRONG SIGNS
Traffic is still being diverted through Perth one year after the £150 million Cross Tay Link Road (CTLR) opened – prompting a call for action from a city councillor to update signs for motorists. The New Kingsway and Destiny Bridge was opened in March...
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£8.7M STORE PLANSGETTHE GREENLIGHT
Tesco’s new £8.75 million superstore in Pitlochry is scheduled to open early next year. This week Perth and Kinross Licensing Board unanimously granted a provisional licence for the supermarket, which is still under construction. The Bridge Road...
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OBJECTIONS TOCHARITY’S BIDFORNEW CAREHOME
There are more than 30 objections to Capability Scotland’s plans for a care facility to be built on the Perth Leisure Pool car park and play park site. Anderson Bell Christie Architects has submitted plans for the charity – which provides care for...
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MILESTONE ASNEWLINK ROADOPENS
The next phase of Perth and Kinross Council’s landmark £200 million Perth Transport Futures Project is now completed with the opening of the new Bertha Park Link Road on Wednesday – five weeks ahead of schedule. The new 1.4km road links the roundabout...
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FANTASTICFOREST
Dozens of community groups and projects in the region have received a share of a record-breaking £134,000 as part of Perthshire’s Enchanted Forest Community Fund programme. The funding, awarded during the event’s landmark 25th anniversary year,...
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HEADSTONES HORRORFOR GRIEVING FAMILIES
Perth and Kinross Council has paused gravestone stabilisation works in Aberfeldy after residents were horrified headstones were being “socketed” so deep the inscriptions were no longer visible. The safety work – which has been branded “disgraceful” –...
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TIMECALLEDON POPULARPUB
A popular Perth pub – which once housed the city’s library – will close its doors this month with the building up for sale for £700,000. The 128-year-old listed building, which houses The Sandeman pub on the corner of Kinnoull Street will close its...
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NEW £2M TRAVELLERS SITEGIVEN APPROVAL
Councillors have unanimously approved plans for a long-awaited £2 million purpose-built stopping site for Gypsy Travellers at Perth Food and Drink Park. Perth and Kinross Council’s (PKC) planning application for the site had been recommended for...
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A man has been hospitalised after an alleged stabbing during an incident in Perth.
Emergency service crews raced to the scene on Cluny Terrace in the city at around 8.35am on Sunday morning after the alarm was raised. Police confirmed a 32-yearold man was taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee for treatment. His condition is not yet...
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COPSPLANFOR PERTHCENTRE
Plans are underway to increase officer patrols in the city following a rise in crime, police chiefs have revealed. The force confirmed at a council meeting that two patrol officers will be dedicated to the area to tackle anti-social behaviour and a...
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BLAZEFUSESLORRY TOTHEA9TARMAC
A lorry that exploded and closed Perthshire’s A9 was “melted to the tarmac” and is now set to cause delays on the road for “the foreseeable future”. Emergency services were summoned to the A9 south of Dunkeld, Perthshire, at approximately 6.20am on...
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PLEATOPUT ASTOP TO ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
Police and council bosses are asking parents and guardians to help tackle antisocial behaviour in Perth and Kinross following a spate of incidents across communities in the region. It comes after a number of vandalism and antisocial behaviour...
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POTHOLECLAIMSTOTHE COUNCILHAVEDOUBLED
Claims to Perth and Kinross Council for damage to vehicles from potholes more than doubled last year with the council blaming “increasingly wet winter weather” taking its toll on roads. Compensation claims made to the local authority increased by 141...
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AUTHORITY WEEDSOUT GROWING PROBLEMS
Perth and Kinross Council has announced it has begun an overhaul of its weeding programme for the next two years following anger from residents across the region. Following a lot of negative feedback, a previous council contractor agreed to withdraw...
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THUGTORCHED MYMOTORHOME WITHME INSIDEIT
A grandmother has been left homeless after a thug launched a Molotov cocktail into her motorhome while she slept inside. Tracey Moffat (63) was sleeping in the Mercedes vehicle when it was deliberately torched on Ruthvenfield Road in Perth early on...
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‘FANTASTIC’SALE OFLISTED BUILDING ISHAILED
Perth and Kinross Council leader Eric Drysdale has hailed this week’s sale of a prominent vacant Perth city centre building as “fantastic news”. This week, Smart and Co announced it had successfully sold 50 St John Street – formerly occupied by...
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TEEN’S FINAL TRAGICTEXTS
A scared woman texted friends: “I may not survive tonight” moments before dying in a collision caused by the drunk driver she accepted a lift from, a court heard. Erin Slane (19) sent the message whilst sitting as a passenger in 23-year-old Kyle...
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PROTECT OUR PEAK
A national climbing organisation has mounted a campaign to save “one of Scotland’s most unique and valuable climbing and training venues” near Dunkeld from further development. After Perth and Kinross Council refused planning permission for further...
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POLICESWOOPSNET £400K WORTH OFDRUGS, CASHANDWEAPONS
More than £400,000 of drugs, cash and a weapon were recovered from the streets of Perth as cops swooped in on properties in the city. Officers in Perth seized £51,000 of cocaine from a car in Kirkgate Mews on April 30, before going on to recover...
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FAMILIESINDISTRESS OVERGRAVESTONES
Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) has pledged to improve its Memorial Safety in Council Cemeteries programme following the distress it has caused to bereaved loved ones. The move was agreed by PKC’S Finance and Resources Committee as Highland Perthshire...
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GAMEKEEPER BATTERS RARE BIRD TO DEATH
Shocking video footage of a gamekeeper trapping a protected bird of prey and clubbing it to death was shown in court as he was fined and ordered to carry out work in the community for the cruel act. Perth Sheriff Court was shown footage – also seen by...
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£500M MASTERPLAN IS APPROVED
The ambitious £500 million Perth West masterplan set to transform the region over the next 30 years has been unanimously approved by councillors this week. The masterplan includes the Perth Eco-innovation Business Park, a bus depot, a hydrogen...
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RACHELHOUSE AIMSTOREALISE £20M DREAM
A children’s hospice charity has launched a £20million fundraising appeal that will see Rachel House in Kinross rebuilt in a bid to “reimagine what children’s palliative care can be”. Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) said its More than a...
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£2.5MPITCH REVAMPIS APPROVED
Councillors have unanimously approved Jeanfield Swifts FC’S £2.5 million development of its Riverside Stadium and pitches subject to a “robust” match day management plan for parking. The Perth football club is aiming to become the biggest community...
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SWIFTS STADIUM PLAN FACES FINALVOTE
Perth football club Jeanfield Swifts’proposed £2.5 million development of its Riverside Stadium and pitches on the city’s Bute Drive have been recommended for approval ahead of the decision later this week. The plans will go before Perth and Kinross...
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FEARSEVIL CARERWILL ESCAPEA JAILTERM
Two siblings abused by their twisted foster mum fear she will walk free because “she got old”. Jennifer Robertson was found guilty of the cruel and unnatural treatment of children in Perthshire between 1980 and 1995. The brother and sister are now...
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FLATSFIRETHUG WASOUTONBAIL
A domestic abuser who battered his ex and then set fire to a block of flats was on bail at the time of the horrific attack, it has been revealed. David Storie,pictured left, caused a blaze so serious it spread to several homes and destroyed two...
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COURTBUILDING INNEEDOFREPAIR
Prison inspectors have said conditions at Perth Sheriff Court’s custody unit needs “urgent investment” following a report which revealed issues with dampness, poor ventilation and structural damage. The unannounced inspection from the HM Inspectorate...
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TOWNSWILLBATTLE FORCULTURECROWN
Two Perthshire towns are vying to be crowned the first ever UK Town of Culture. Building on the success of the UK City of Culture, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport launched the UK Town of Culture 2028 competition in January. This week,...
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FOUR-YEAR DEADLINE FORPH20
Live Active Leisure’s chief executive has told councillors PH2O needs to be built within four years. It comes after a local politician called for a public vote on Perth and Kinross Council’s (PKC) “crazy” plans to build Perth’s new swimming pool and...
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MSPWANTSA VOTEON ‘CRAZY’PLANS
Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser is calling for a public vote on Perth and Kinross Council’s “crazy” plans to build Perth’s new leisure centre on the site of a busy city centre car park. Mr Fraser claims the proposals to build the smaller PH2O centre at...
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SICKGAMEKEEPER BEATRAREBIRD OFPREYTODEATH
A gamekeeper who trapped a rare bird of prey in a cage before beating it to death was caught out by a covert surveillance operation. Russell Mason (49) lured the protected goshawk into a baited trap before battering it several times with a cosh to...
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FIGURESFOR SEWAGESTINK
There are calls for stricter monitoring of sewage in the region after figures revealed 111 tonnes –the highest in any Scottish local authority –has been spread across land in Perth and Kinross. Scottish Greens MSP Mark Ruskell (pictured right) has...
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STRIKEACTION FORTEACHERS
Scotland’s largest teaching union has announced its intention to take industrial action in Perth and Kinross next week. Perth and Kinross Council is now preparing to have to close some schools and partially open some next Thursday, March 19 and March...
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MYSONANDHIS DYINGMUMWERE FAILEDBYCOUNCIL
A schoolboy was left alone with his dying mum in a squalid house - despite Perth and Kinross Council carrying out a home safety check five months before. Lauren (41) died from sepsis two days after being rushed to hospital when son Leo (13) found her...
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LOWKILLER LAUNCHES APPEAL
A gamekeeper who blasted his former colleague to death with a shotgun has launched a bid to clear his name. David Campbell (77) killed Brian Low (65) in a cold blood attack in woods in Aberfeldy, Perthshire. He disabled CCTV cameras at his home...
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WEALLHOPE YOUHAVE CLOSURE
Councillors in Highland Perthshire hope Aberfeldy murder victim Brian Low’s family can feel a sense of closure and justice as the man who murdered him was handed a 19-year jail term. Last week at the High Court in Glasgow, David Campbell (77) was...
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EX-GROUNDSMAN GUILTYOF LOWMURDER
A former head gamekeeper has been convicted of gunning down an ex-colleague in a brutal execution. David Campbell murdered Brian Low while the 65-yearold was out walking his dog on a remote track near Aberfeldy on February 16, 2024. Hooded Campbell...
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DIESELIN RIVERIS PROBED
Efforts to prevent any impact on the region’s water supply are underway after a botched robbery attempt led to diesel flowing into the waters around a Perthshire village. Residents in Killin – which is on the Stirling and Perthshire boundary – began...
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118 WEAPONS FOUNDINPRISON
Figures which reveal the extent of weapons smuggled into HMP Perth over the course of two years have been branded“staggering”by an MSP. The data supplied to the Scottish Conservatives by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) through a Freedom of...
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POULTRYFARM PLANAPPROVED
Plans to bring a derelict Perthshire farm back into use as a poultry farm - creating 20 jobs - have been given the goahead by councillors. There were 60 letters of objection and four in support, including the nearest resident whose family tenanted the...
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COUNCILUNDER FIREFORLACKOF £50MWASTE DEALINFO
Perth and Kinross Council has been criticised for the lack of information surrounding the termination of its £50 million waste contract. On December 18, the council announced it was terminating the 10year contract it began in August 2023 with Paprec...
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COPISQUIZZEDON ‘GLARING MISTAKE’
A police constable was challenged on whether he made a “glaring mistake” after initially reporting that a man who had been fatally shot on a track near Aberfeldy had died in non-suspicious circumstances. A murder trial heard that the body of Brian Low...
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GERMINATOR
Robotic cleaners are now being used in a Perthshire school and sports centre, following a successful trial. Tayside Contracts, which provides the cleaning service for Perth and Kinross schools, has insisted the aim “wasn’t to replace people”. The...
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FIELDOFDREAMS
Jeanfield Swifts Football Club’s ambitious plans for a £2.4 million development of its training facilities at Riverside Stadium are one step closer thanks to an almost £500,000 funding boost. The Perth football club, which first revealed the plans...
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RESPECTTHE EXCLUSION ZONE
A strong appeal has been made to drivers to comply with a Perth school exclusion zone for the safety of children amid a row over cars parking dangerously during pick-up times. This week councillors voted to reduce the size of the “challenging” zone to...
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DADDIES INCRASH TRAGEDY
Tributes have poured in for a young man who died in a car crash in Bridge of Earn. The 29-year-old has been named locally as Conner Nicoll, as his parents, brother and friends all shared heartfelt messages following his death on Friday, January...
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FLOODCHAOS SPARKSROAD EMERGENCIES
Yesterday brought weather chaos throughout Perth and Kinross as heavy rainfall closed a number of schools and roads across the region. A Met Office amber weather warning for persistent and heavy rain was in place for parts of Perth and Kinross from...
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‘Tinker Experiment’family forced to live in wartime hut
A Perth and Kinross Gypsy/ Traveller — whose family was forced to stop travelling and settle in a wartime hut at Bobbin Mill in Pitlochry — has called for authorities to “start seriously looking at reparations for those most affected” by the Tinker...
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PROTESTCHAOS SPARKSBUFFER ZONEAPPEAL
Safety ‘buffer zones’ could be created outside hotels housing asylum seekers following protests in Perth at the weekend. The First Minister — and Perthshire North MSP — John Swinney made the comments in response to the scenes at the Radisson Blu Hotel...
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COUNCILLOR’S APPEARANCE INCOURTON RAPECHARGE
A Perth and Kinross councillor has appeared in court charged with rape. Councillor Andy Chan (43) appeared at a private petition hearing at Perth Sheriff Court on Friday, January 9 where he faced a single charge of rape and sexual assault. He made no...
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LUCKYTOHAVE LOVEDYOU
Perth and Kinross Council’s leader Eric Drysdale has told how he was a “lucky man to have known and loved” his wife Elizabeth following her death on Boxing Day. The devoted husband says he has been bowled over by the support he has received since his...
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CRUCIALVOTEON WINDFARMPLANS
Perth and Kinross Council planners have recommended councillors object to a controversial wind farm due to the significant adverse effects on a national scenic area. Low Carbon submitted plans to the Scottish Goverment’s Energy Consents Unit to erect...
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TOPOFTHECLASS
A 70s pop star, a heritage kiltmaker, a retired school teacher and a doctor are among some of the prominent Perthshire figures to be recognised for their achievements in the New Year’s Honours List. Six people from across the region were named on the...
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CHRISTMAS KINDNESS
A Perthshire charity on the frontline of helping those most affected by the ongoing war in Ukraine have thanked the community for their generosity to a Christmas campaign for another year. Tayside and Strathearn Help for Ukraine (TASH) was established...
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BLAZEFLATS RAZEDTO GROUND
Demolition of the Scott Street building destroyed by a tragic blaze – which killed one man and left 50 families homeless – in Perth city centre has been completed. One person died when the devastating fire took hold in the early hours of Saturday,...
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COUNCILBINS £50M WASTEDEAL
Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) is terminating its £50million waste contract with Paprec Energies Binn Ltd. At a private meeting on Tuesday, councillors agreed to pursue a mutual termination of the current contract and award the residual waste...
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EMERGENCY DECLARED OVERCOSTS
A funding “emergency” has been declared in the region as figures show the council’s HSCP projected overspend is £4.4million. Latest statistics show Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) is facing the multi-million pound blackhole...
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VICTORYBYA SINGLEVOTE
Perth and Kinross councillors have narrowly voted to reject a strategy which would have seen council tax rise by a whopping 47 per cent in six years. If approved, the Band D rate would have soared from the current annual charge of £1,537 to £2,252 by...
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HOTELPLAN FOR FORMER COUNCILHQ
Perth and Kinross councillors have voted to approve plans to develop 1–5 High Street into a hotel and award developers £1.9million to restore the building. Councillors voted by 31 votes to six, with two abstentions, to nominate Lock Terrace Ltd to...
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JUSTICEFORMAISIE
The family of a Perth teenager who developed cerebral palsy following a lack of oxygen have won a legal case against NHS Tayside after the health board denied liability for her care. Maisie Wilkie was born on April 6, 2010 at a midwifery led unit...
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MYLEAP OFFAITH FORMUM
A Perthshire woman has told how she is proud to honour her late mum after a daring fundraiser raised almost £4000 for the oncology unit which cared for her when she was fighting cancer. Ruby Cunningham took on a tandem bungee jump with her friend Erin...
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TELLUSIF VIENNA’S DULL
Delegates from Vienna Tourist Board visited a tiny Perthshire village at the weekend to personally invite all the residents to the Austrian capital – to prove it’s not Dull. The tourist board came up with the idea of inviting the entire population of...
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£1m TOHELP WITHTHECOST OFCITYBLAZE
The Scottish Government has pledged to award £1 million to Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) to help meet costs incurred by the fatal fire at 41 Scott Street. A man died and several people were injured in the city centre fire, which started in the early...
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CHRISTMAS KICKS OFF IN PERTH
Perth town centre was packed at the weekend as the Christmas lights were switched on and the countdown to the big day began. Thousands turned out, and were treated to a raft of entertainment introduced by hosts Stephen Mulhern and Lionel Vinyl. Perth...
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‘GOTOJAILIF YOUWANTAN NHSDENTIST’
A councillor has claimed the only way to get an NHS dentist is to ‘end up in prison or a care home’ as concerns are raised about the shortage of services in the region. Kinross-shire ward councillor Willie Robertson (pictured right) slammed the...
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