Perth and Kinross councillors have welcomed MSP John Swinney to the site of Scotland's first Passivhaus leisure centre, a £36 million development currently underway in Blairgowrie.

To attain Passivhaus certification, buildings must be completed to exacting environmental and quality standards so they use considerably less energy than normal buildings of a similar size.

Riverside Primary School in Perth became Scotland's first Passivhaus-accredited school last month and the new Perth High School is also being built to the same standards.

The new Blairgowrie Recreation Centre will feature a mix of indoor and outdoor exercise facilities and all specifications for the building, including structure design, orientation, and materials, have been designed to Passivhaus standard.

This reduces the building's ecological footprint, resulting in an ultra-low energy building that will require little energy for space heating or cooling.

The facilities at the new recreation centre will include:

• 6 lane 25 metre swimming pool

• 4 court games hall

• 2 court games hall/gymnasium

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• Dance studio

• Fitness gym

• PE classroom

• Changing Places

• Accessible changing

• Changing facilities for the pool, sports hall and external all-weather pitch

• Changing for the external all-weather pitch

• Offices for Live Active Leisure and School staff

Councillor John Rebbeck, convener of Perth and Kinross Council's Learning and Families Committee said: "This has been a long-awaited project and it's wonderful to see how the project is progressing. The current Recreation Centre is over 40 years old and no longer really fit for purpose.

"The new centre will not only offer excellent sporting facilities, it is also being built to Passivhaus standards. As we've seen at Riverside Primary School, these are fantastic buildings that are incredibly energy efficient and I am sure pupils at Blairgowrie High School benefit from such a fantastic new space."

Councillor Tom McEwan, SNP Councillor for Blairgowrie and The Glens added: "The new Blairgowrie Recreation Centre will make a huge difference to the lives of people in Blairgowrie and elsewhere in Eastern Perthshire.

"They will have top-of-the range facilities on their doorstep, including a six lane swimming pool.

"We're committed to reducing our carbon footprint and buildings like this and our new schools are key to reaching net zero."

Fellow Blairgowrie and Glens Councillor Bob Brawn added: "It was good to have a visit to the ongoing construction of the new Recreation Centre which is obviously progressing well and to time. This was a long time in the planning but this new building, constructed to the Passivhaus design, will be future-proofed and present a marvellous facility for Blairgowrie and East Perthshire."

The new Recreation Centre, which will replace the existing facilities, is positioned to the south of the school, and will be available to the wider community as well as Blairgowrie High School pupils.

Phase 1 of the project, completion of the new recreation centre, is due to complete by the end of this year/early next year. The second phase, demolition of the existing recreation centre and completion of the parking, is due to be completed by May 2025.