Residents, school pupils and artists who worked to redevelop Craigie Place in Perth have celebrated following the completion of installations designed to make the area a better place to walk, wheel, cycle and live.
The square where Craigie Place meets Glenearn Road and Windsor Terrace, on National Cycle Network Route 775, has been resurfaced and a designated cycle path installed. Also among the improvements are the installation of benches, cycle parking and raised beds for planting.
Artists Eleanor Young from Fun Makes Good and Hamish Bigg from Bigg Design designed wayfinding artwork and floor murals, highlighting places of local interest as well as those further along NCN775 such as Loch Leven, and, more locally, Perth’s South Inch park and Craigie Burn.
The improvements, developed by Sustrans Scotland and Perth and Kinross Council together with the community, Inch View Primary School and St Mary Magdalene’s Church through online consultations and surveys, were designed to address local concerns about unsafe and illegal parking in the square, as well as difficulty finding NCN775.
Paul Ruffles, Principal Urban Designer, Sustrans, said:
“This is a wonderful small project delivered in partnership with the local community, Perth and Kinross Council and local artists. The work has transformed the space from a redundant space used for car parking into a calm, green and vibrant space for people of all ages and abilities. It’s a real pleasure to see these changes happen and highlights the value of putting people at the heart of decisions on their local spaces.”
Christopher Lennox, Technician, Road Safety, Traffic and Network, Perth & Kinross Council, said:
“My involvement in the scheme was to investigate, partially design and organise the hard landscaping works on behalf of Sustrans. This included helping with the construction strategy and traffic management plan. The pocket places programme has revitalised the small space creating a focal point in the community, having improved travel networks benefitting both pedestrians and cyclists.”
Artists Eleanor Young and Hamish Bigg said:
“Bigg Design and Fun Makes Good have been delighted to work with Sustrans and Perth and Kinross Council to transform this once derelict space. We were amazed at the support and responses we received from Inch View Primary School and the local community. It’s been particularly enjoyable getting hands-on installing the artwork and meeting residents as they’ve come to chat to us and see the project evolve – everyone has been so friendly and enthusiastic about the new space!
“Located on the National Cycle Network, the sculpture draws on the aesthetics of road signage and ground markings, reinventing them to create a colourful and engaging public space. A circle of posts support double-sided artworks symbolising local landmarks and places of interest, whilst a hand-painted ground mural acts as a ‘compass’ to point visitors in their direction.
“Combined with Sustrans’ landscape design, we hope the new space creates an oasis of art and planting in the urban environment – a place to meet, rest and play, that invites exploration of the local area.”
Sustrans Scotland’s Pocket Places programme is an opportunity for local communities to shape their neighbourhood and take a lead in making their local area a better place to live. Pocket Places is funded by the Scottish Government through Transport Scotland and delivered by Sustrans Scotland.