New Hub Plans Launched

15 October 2025

PLANS FOR NEW PERTH ENTERPRISE, SKILLS AND EMPLOYABILITY HUB 

• Project being spearheaded by Perth and Kinross Opportunities Trust

• Funding boost from UK Government and Perth and Kinross Council

• Initiative set to bring vacant former RBS bank building back into use in 2026

• Facility to offer workspace, employability support, enterprise opportunities

Plans to transform a long-vacant Perth city centre former bank into a new enterprise, skills and employability hub have taken a major step forward.

Significant UK Government and Perth and Kinross Council funding has been allocated to the project to convert the former Royal Bank of Scotland South Street branch into a new hub designed to help new small businesses and improve employment prospects for local people.

The initiative is being spearheaded by Perth and Kinross Opportunities Trust (PKOT), which was established earlier this year by several members of Perth and Kinross Business Partnership.

The hub, which is expected to open in the first half of 2026, will offer flexible workspace and meeting space and enterprise advice for small businesses, as well as employability support for individuals to help them secure jobs.

As well as hot desks offering access to the fastest broadband available in the city centre, the hub is also planned to have a number of long-term anchor tenants.  

There has already been interest from organisations looking to make use of the hub, including Barclays plc, UHI Perth, Skills Development Scotland, GrowBiz and Business Gateway.

The hub has now been awarded £150,000 of investment from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund as well as nearly £25,000 from Perth and Kinross Council's Adapt Your Property scheme.

The project has already secured significant private contributions and is also in discussions with several trusts and foundations about additional funding to maximise the community impact from the new facility,

Jackie Brierton, one of the PKOT Trustees, said: "The hub is a really exciting opportunity to deliver a facility that will help create jobs, boost skills, and support many of the objectives of the economic, employability and anti-poverty strategies for Perth and Kinross.

"As well as filling a gap in the facilities available to new entrepreneurs, the hub will help regenerate a part of the city that has been impacted by the tragic fire in nearby Scott Street over the summer.

"We carried out significant research to help inform the plans for the hub and there's a clear demand for the collaborative working environment and support that the hub will offer. There's also been a fantastic response and support from local businesses and the council."

Councillor Eric Drysdale, Leader of Perth and Kinross Council, said: “This initiative from Perth and Kinross Opportunities Trust is a perfect example of how local business leaders and the Council can work together to achieve shared goals.

“PKOT’s plans for South Street fit perfectly with our ambitions for city centre regeneration, as set out in the Perth City Development and Design Framework, and support our wider priorities for economic growth. Bringing a prime city centre property back into use is exactly what the Adapt Your Property scheme was designed for, and it’s why we will continue to invest in supporting ideas like this to become a reality.”

PKOT estimates that the 50 new or growing enterprises will use the hub, and that more than 200 individuals will be supported into training, volunteering or employment within the first three years. 

Roz Taylor, Operations Director, Elevator Business Gateway, said: “Community engagement is at the heart of what we do, and our business advisers and outreach teams are already working across Perthshire to connect with individuals and businesses in the places that matter to them.

“This new hub will make enterprise and skills support even more accessible and inclusive - removing barriers, inspiring confidence, and helping more people and businesses to thrive. It represents another significant step forward in strengthening the local economy and building a more enterprising Perth.”

Suzanne Steel, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) Area Manager for Tayside, said: “We are proud to support Perth and Kinross Opportunities Trust in its ambitious project to establish a new enterprise, skills and employability hub in Perth. It is an innovative initiative, set to provide invaluable resources and opportunities for the local community, fostering entrepreneurship and reducing barriers to employment.

"SDS is a partner of the local employability partnership, and the initiative aligns with the partnership’s strategy across many areas including enabling access to employability services through a hub approach."

The design of the bew hub is being led by award-winning Kinross-based architects Studio LBA. Studio LBA Managing Director Lynsay Bell Manson said: “Our vision is to reimagine this long-vacant building as a vibrant, accessible hub that supports both local enterprise and the wider Perth community. 

“The creation of co-working and flexible office spaces, along with a welcoming new fully accessible ground-floor entrance and improved street frontage, will produce a space that’s inclusive, future-focused, and rooted in place.

“Our circular design ethos is about retention, re-use, and thoughtful adaptation. So we’re not only helping revitalize a neglected site, but re-establishing it as a key civic asset and catalyst for positive change in the heart of the city.”

PKOT is submitting a planning application for the hub works to Perth and Kinross Council and is currently working on the procurement of the building refit, with a preferred contractor expected to be appointed within the next few weeks.

ENDS