The region of Perth and Kinross is geographically at the heart of Scotland, straddling the divide between the highlands and the lowlands, and is set in the midst of some of Scotland’s finest countryside. The region has a population of 135,000 and a land area of 5,286 square kilometres, which amounts to a population density of only 26 persons per square kilometre. The region is one of the most desirable parts of Scotland in which to live and an independent report of 1990 confirmed that the residents enjoyed the best quality of life in the UK.

The city of Perth was founded in the fourth century and the harbour has been driving economic development in the region for the last 900 years.

Perth harbour’s primary role is for freight transport and its central location means that it is geographically well placed for providing access to many of Scotland’s large business areas. Unfortunately, the harbour is suffering from its own success and has started to become capacity constrained which is limiting the access of business in the region to the valuable resource of the inland waterways and international trade routes.

Through participating in SustAccess, Perth harbour will be able to increase its volume of shipping, improve its trade balance by boosting the ratio of exports and be better placed to allow the integration of the nearby railway line through the creation of a new rail head. These improvements will enhance access to the port from the region and from the international trade partners, support sustainable growth of the regional economy and contribute to a favourable modal shift as it will provide an attractive alternative to inefficient and polluting transport by road.

Under construction

Under construction