Perth & Kinross Council has said it will invest almost £25m in infrastructure projects, provided councillors approve the proposals at a meeting on Wednesday 19 December.

The Council says the investment would benefit visitors, school pupils, residents and businesses.

The proposal would see the Council commit up to £4.424m of additional funding to the redevelopment of Perth Theatre and £7.667m to a new secondary school in Perth.

The additional two thirds of the cost of the school would be met by funding from the Scottish Futures Trust.

Perth & Kinross Council says it would also commit £12.5m to a new primary school at Oudenarde, and that £11.5m of the cost could be offset by developer contributions over a 20 to 30 year period.

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The Council would also invest £1.2m in increasing broadband coverage to all settlements of over 1,000 people in the region.

This, the Council says, would increase overall download speeds and eliminate broadband 'non spots' across the area.

The broadband measures would be implemented as part of the Scottish government’s Rural Broadband Step Change 2015 national programme.

The Council has also proposed its support to A9/A85 road junction improvements in principle, but will confirm once the level of external funding from the Scottish government and developer contributions is known.

Councillor Ian Miller, Leader of Perth & Kinross Council said: "£25m is a very significant amount of investment at any time, and especially when public sector organisations are dealing with today's extremely challenging financial climate.

"It is because of Perth & Kinross Council's robust financial management that we are able to consider this investment and I am proud to see these proposals coming before Council. The projects are expected to bring significant benefits to our local economy, through increased employment opportunities, particularly in the construction sector, and increased visitor numbers for cultural attractions in the area."

(IT)