The Church of Scotland is planning to install a series of LED floodlights at St Matthew’s in Perth. The illumination is part of the council-led City of Light strategy, which is hoping to light up local popular destinations and turn the area more attractive and night-friendly for visitors.
The Gothic Tay Street building, which recently underwent a £875,000 renovation, was initially lit with large, halogen bulbs. However, the installation of the traditional lights was proving to be too expensive to maintain as a result they were put out of action.
An application for listed building consent has now been lodged with Perth and Kinross Council to make alterations to the outside of the church.
The five LED lights will illuminate the building and its famous spire in a “warm white”. Furthermore colours could also be changed to mark occasions and promote events such as such as Armistice and World Aids Day.
The congregation of St Matthew’s is very proud to worship in a building that is architecturally stunning as it towers over the banks of the River Tay as well as delighted that this magnificent 212ft cityscape spire will be lit again during the hours of darkness.
The new LED lighting will be so much more cost effective and will surely enhance the aesthetics of the city at night. Also, the remote lighting tests were carried out on the building in the month of April.
Council leaders unveiled the £12 million City of Light plan in 2016. The local authority is paying about £5 million towards the scheme, while the remainder will be met by private owners and Scottish Government funding. The main idea is to revive the city’s night-time economy and get more visitors into Perth after dark.
