Ambitious plans for space centre in Kinross revealed

Kinross High Street. Picture: Wikicommons

The Aero Space Kinross project is the brainchild of former glider pilot Alisdair Stewart.

He hopes to transform a vacant plot on the outskirts of the town into a major tourist attraction, telling the story and science of flight and space exploration.

Once up and running, Mr Stewart believes the aerospace centre could attract around 60,000 visitors each year.

A consultation exercise will get under way at on Thursday.

Residents have been invited to a public meeting, where they will be briefed on the latest proposals and given the chance to provide feedback and suggestions.

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The event will be held in the lecture theatre of Loch Leven Community Campus from 7.30pm and will be hosted by Kinross High School head teacher Sarah Brown, who has previously praised the educational benefits of the scheme.

Mr Stewart will discuss his vision for the centre before a presentation by Andrew Rae, professor of experimental and applied aerodynamics at the University of the Highlands and Islands.

If successful, the complex could accommodate a fully immersive 3D planetarium, a flight motion simulation and an exhibition.

The centre could create up to 40 full-time jobs.

Aero Space Kinross, a subsidiary of the Aero Space Scientific Educational Trust social enterprise, is working on securing crucial backing from “farsighted individuals, trusts, corporations and public benefactors”.

There are also plans for a partnership with the Glasgow Science Centre.

Mr Stewart, who is a chairman of the Kinross-shire Partnership, a rural development company funded by Perth and Kinross Council, said: “Aero Space Kinross will be an iconic new leisure attraction in the heart of Scotland.

“It will convey both the sheer joy of flight and the excitement of space exploration.”