Work gets underway at Perth’s Mill Quarter
September 6 2017
The Mill Quarter will incorporate a cinema, bars, restaurants and shops alongside multi-storey car park and 58 new apartments, breathing new life into a neglected corner of the city centre.
Councillor Ian Campbell, Leader of Perth & Kinross Council, said: “The Mill Quarter development is an exciting opportunity to develop and enhance Perth’s leisure offering for residents and visitors, and I’m pleased to see the project reach this milestone. Expresso Property has identified the city as a positive location for growth and investment, and this sends out an important signal to existing and potential investors that Perth is the place to be.”
Designed by Holmes Miller the scheme is being delivered in tandem with Park Quadrant Residences in Glasgow.
11 Comments
#1 Posted by StyleCouncil on 6 Sep 2017 at 14:02 PM
Here we go again..cut and paste architecture. Bit of brick, a lump of flush, golden cladding and a dose of brise soleil. Could be any commercial development in any city. Interesting montage view with the simple vernacular opposite…Perth spliced with Liverpool or, anywhere….meh.
#2 Posted by Not Inclusive on 6 Sep 2017 at 16:11 PM
Interesting that they have a skateboarder in there when we all know Architects hate skateboarding and put those hideous skate stops everywhere.
#3 Posted by Trombe Wall on 7 Sep 2017 at 10:01 AM
Perth has a great wee cinema already, situated within a fantastic Art Deco building. It doesn't need and cannot support two cinemas, certainly not within a 2 minute walk of each other. Given the amount of empty shops in the city centre, it doesn't need more of these either. Investment in Perth is certainly welcome, i just question the legacy that this will leave.
#4 Posted by CM on 7 Sep 2017 at 11:02 AM
I doubt there will be many shop units here, 2 max? One will probably become a Tesco express and the other will stay empty, i agree about the cinema point, not needed at all. Flats and car park are welcome. If only the cinema in this proposal was replaced with more housing, it would be perfect.
#5 Posted by Trombe Wall on 7 Sep 2017 at 13:41 PM
#4 - total agreement!
#6 Posted by Hilloch on 7 Sep 2017 at 16:35 PM
#3 / #4 - I would guess the additional cinema is with a view to eventually winding down the other one and re-appropriating the ArtDeco building or site to developers for flats etc.
Although I might well be wildly paranoid and delusional in my suspicions.
#2 - In my experience architects are generally ambivalent to skateboarders. Developers on the other hand need to keep the riff raff out, that includes skateboarders, homeless people, poorer people.
The Mill Quarter ticks this box, can see it being cast as a boujie part of the centre - bland, branded, low risk stuff. Poor show.
Although I might well be wildly paranoid and delusional in my suspicions.
#2 - In my experience architects are generally ambivalent to skateboarders. Developers on the other hand need to keep the riff raff out, that includes skateboarders, homeless people, poorer people.
The Mill Quarter ticks this box, can see it being cast as a boujie part of the centre - bland, branded, low risk stuff. Poor show.
#7 Posted by Beetlejuice on 7 Sep 2017 at 16:40 PM
Does the Council ever read such comments in their decision making???
As I said in my comments when this development was last posted on UR
would this really turn around the fortunes of the existing shops and fill vacant shops in the centre? No - considering there is an equal, or more, number of shops currently vacant around the centre needing attention.
Regardless of the fact that The Playhouse has rights to IMAX, this is not an indefinite agreement and ultimately the Playhouse will close.
PKC - WAKE UP! You are NOT thinking about the bigger picture for the city's long term heritage and legacy. You'll simply shift an existing set of economic issues to another location, or simply make it worse.
As I said in my comments when this development was last posted on UR
would this really turn around the fortunes of the existing shops and fill vacant shops in the centre? No - considering there is an equal, or more, number of shops currently vacant around the centre needing attention.
Regardless of the fact that The Playhouse has rights to IMAX, this is not an indefinite agreement and ultimately the Playhouse will close.
PKC - WAKE UP! You are NOT thinking about the bigger picture for the city's long term heritage and legacy. You'll simply shift an existing set of economic issues to another location, or simply make it worse.
#8 Posted by Philip on 7 Sep 2017 at 17:38 PM
Don't forget the bookie's #4 This commercial component of the scheme has zero long term economic sustainability....but who cares, Expresso will punt it on and are in for the early win...Perhaps explaining why they are called Expresso. I initially thought they were a bunch of bozzo's who had misunderstood the correct title of a short Italian hot beverage.... but this scheme proves the former.
The crass architecture is completely inappropriate and lacking any contextual understanding or skill.
The crass architecture is completely inappropriate and lacking any contextual understanding or skill.
#9 Posted by Seve on 8 Sep 2017 at 15:03 PM
#7 - I can confirm that the Urban Realm comments threads are not read out to councillors at committee when deciding these schemes. (Would anything get built?) They do, however, read formal representations made to the planning application process.
#10 Posted by Beetlejuice on 13 Sep 2017 at 10:48 AM
#9 Thanks for the confirmation, although I don't see such processes for submitting objections making a significant impact on the decision making of the planning committee in whole. The only way to get a point across meaningfully is during public consultation meetings and even here it can be very subdued.
#11 Posted by Construction Perth on 18 Sep 2017 at 10:22 AM
Also this is going to be built across from ST Catherine's square in Perth a notoriously rough part of the City. I do not see this working.
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