New Lease - Former Alyth Museum Building, Commercial Street Alyth
Perth and Kinross Council · 18 March 2026
Back to Alyth Common Good Fund Committee — 18 March 2026 and its agenda
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Alyth Common Good Fund Committee Date of Meeting: 18 March 2026 Report Title: New Lease – Former Alyth Museum Building, Commercial Street, Alyth Report Number: 26/67 Report Author: Mearns McCaskie, Estates Surveyor (estates@pkc.gov.uk) Organisational Lead: Serge Merone, Strategic Lead – Economy, Development & Planning ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek the Committee’s approval to grant a lease of the former Alyth Museum building, a common good property which is currently vacant, to Alyth Youth Partnership. 1.2 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendation(s) 3. Background/Context 4. Main Issues 5. Proposals 6. Conclusion 7. Impact Value Assessment 8. Appendices 2. Recommendation(s) It is recommended that the Committee: 2.1 Agrees to grant a lease of the former Alyth Museum building to Alyth Youth Partnership on the terms set out in this report or otherwise on terms to be agreed by the Strategic Leads for Economy, Development & Planning and Legal & Governance.
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3. Background/Context 3.1 The former Alyth Museum building is a common good property. It is a two- storey, mid-terraced building presumed to date from the mid-nineteenth century, situated on Commercial Street in the centre of Alyth. At the rear, it adjoins the Ogilvy Rooms, which are also owned by the Council and also common good property. The draft lease plan at Appendix 1 shows the extent and location of the former Alyth Museum building. 3.2 The building is shown as a library on mid-twentieth century Ordnance Survey mapping. It was reopened as a museum in 1989, and this use continued until September 2025, when Alyth Museum was permanently closed by Culture Perth & Kinross. The building is currently vacant, and the Council declared it to be surplus to its property requirements in December 2025. 3.3 Alyth Youth Partnership (AYP) is a community-based organisation founded in 1997 and incorporated as a SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation) that delivers universal youth work, meaning that every young person in the community that they serve in is welcome to participate, regardless of their background. They provide youth groups for young people aged 10 – 18+ living in Alyth and the surrounding area, as well as Kirkmichael, and are run by a small team of youth workers and volunteers, overseen by a committee made up of local people. AYP aims to provide safe and enjoyable activities for young people, encourage them to be a positive part of the Alyth community, and support them to make positive choices for their futures. 3.4 AYP’s work is informed by their service users; individual groups and activities are designed in response to their needs. While AYP is currently based in and operates services from the Community Wing at Alyth Primary School, they have identified a requirement for a separate, dedicated base for teenagers. To this end, they have a proposal to lease the former Alyth Museum building for the purpose of operating a youth hub. 4. Main Issues 4.1 The main issue this report addresses is the granting of a lease of the former Alyth Museum building, a vacant and surplus common good property, to AYP. 5. Proposals 5.1 As stated, AYP have a proposal to lease the former Alyth Museum building for the purpose of operating a youth hub that would offer inclusive social, educational and recreational activities in line with their universal youth work. Granting a lease of the building to AYP would not only give a vacant town centre property a new community-focussed social use; it would also empower a local community group to deliver better services for children and young people.
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Officers consider that AYP’s proposal aligns with the Council’s Corporate Plan 2022-27 priorities and that it has the potential to have a strong positive impact on Alyth. The lease is anticipated to generate non-financial benefits including the improvement of health and social well-being. 5.2 AYP’s proposal includes undertaking refurbishment, and adaptation works as the Council’s tenant in order to make the former Alyth Museum building fully suited to their intended use. In particular, AYP intends to fully redecorate the building and convert the existing office on the ground floor into WC facilities. Roof and damp specialist repairs are also planned, which AYP hope to fund via grant applications to the Council’s Place Based Investment Programme and the Advancing Community Assets Fund. 5.3 AYP have stated their intention to provide the following services and facilities from the property under their tenancy: - Universal youth work sessions: drop-in youth clubs for young people on week nights. - Individual support sessions: engaging with young people outwith mainstream education and supporting them to return to it. - Employability sessions: young people aged 16+ can receive support with job applications, CV writing, and learn interview skills. - A base for AYP’s youth work team to meet, carry out administrative tasks, and plan activities and events. - A base for AYP’s committee to meet. - An information point for signposting the wider community to other activities, groups and services. - A community resource which can be used by AYP’s partners for meetings and events. 5.4 Officers are supportive of AYP’s proposal, subject to the Committee’s approval, and have reached agreement in principle with AYP on heads of terms for a lease of the former Alyth Museum building. The main terms are outlined below: - The lease duration will be 25 years, with a proposed date of entry in late March 2026 (in order to meet AYP’s capital funding requirements). - Rent will be £1 per annum (if asked), which reflects the non-financial benefits that will be delivered by AYP under the lease. - At five-year intervals both the landlord and tenant will have the option of terminating the lease early (mutual break options). - AYP will use the property for the purpose of providing a youth hub that offers inclusive social, educational and recreational activities and associated support activities. - AYP will be responsible for obtaining all necessary statutory consents in connection with the proposed use. - AYP will be responsible for all repairs and maintenance, both internally and externally, and for obtaining buildings insurance cover. - AYP will be responsible for all other running costs including statutory compliance checks and remedials, utility bills, and non-domestic rates.
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- On other normal commercial terms. - The lease will include a clause giving AYP the option to purchase the building subject to further approval from this Committee. In the event that AYP did apply to purchase the building during the currency of the lease, the Council would be required to undertake a common good public consultation exercise prior to Committee approval being sought. 5.5 AYP have projected that running costs associated with their occupation of the building will be circa £5,000 - £6,000 per annum initially. These costs will be met using their current core funding received from various funders, including £2,000 per annum from Alyth Development Trust (confirmed for next two years) and £500 per annum from Thrifty One Charity Shop. AYP hold regular fundraising events and as a charity are eligible for support in various ways. AYP also receives funding from The Robertson Trust and the Perth & Kinross Universal Youth Work Partnership, a funding agreement between the Council and the Gannochy Trust. 5.6 Section 104 of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 requires the local authority to consult with the local community when it is planning to dispose of a common good property. The definition of ‘disposal’ includes the granting of a lease. The local authority must publish details of the proposed disposal, and they must also notify and invite representations from community councils and community bodies. 5.7 Details of the proposed lease were published on the Council’s Consultation Hub website, where an eight-week public consultation opened on 13 January 2026 that welcomed the views of present and former residents of Alyth on the proposal to grant a lease of the former Alyth Museum building to AYP. Under the terms of Section 104 of the 2015 Act, the Committee must have regard to the consultation responses in deciding whether to grant a lease of the former Alyth Museum building, since it is held as part of the common good. 5.8 A total of 189 responses were submitted via the Consultation Hub website, of which 178 were submitted by residents or former residents of Alyth; the responses of the other 11 respondents have not been included in this summary. 174 respondents were in favour of the proposal to grant a lease to AYP and 4 respondents were not. An alternative outcome suggested by two respondents not in favour of the proposal was to utilise either Alyth Town Hall or the Community Wing at Alyth Primary School for the proposed purpose as these buildings were considered to offer more space. Another respondent raised concern over potential noise nuisance within the building. Consultation responses are provided in full at Appendix 2.
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5.9 Alyth Community Council were also invited to make a representation however they did not provide any further comment in addition to their previously expressed support for AYP’s proposal. 5.10 The Council is required to fulfil its statutory duties under Best Value, as set out in Section 1 of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003. Relevant aspects of this duty include: - Making best use of public resources, including land and property. - Being open and transparent in transactions. - Ensuring sound financial controls are in place to minimise the risk of fraud and error. - Assessing the full financial consequences of decisions at an appropriate level before major financial decisions are taken or commitments entered into. - Demonstrating responsiveness to the needs of communities, citizens, customers, and other stakeholders, where relevant. The Council is also required to comply with Section 74 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and the Disposal of Land by Local Authorities (Scotland) Regulations 2010 when disposing of land and buildings. 6. Conclusion 6.1 Officers recommend that the Committee agrees to grant a lease of the former Alyth Museum building to Alyth Youth Partnership on the terms set out in this report or otherwise on terms to be agreed by the Strategic Leads for Economy, Development & Planning and Legal & Governance. Granting a lease of the building to AYP would not only give a vacant common good property a new community-focussed social use; it would also empower a local community group to deliver better services for children and young people. AYP’s proposal aligns with the Council’s Corporate Plan 2022-27 priorities, and it has strong potential to contribute positively to Alyth. 7. Impact and Value Assessment New Lease - Former Alyth Museum Building, Commercial Street, Alyth 8. Appendices 8.1 Appendix 1 – Draft Lease Plan Appendix 2 – Consultation Responses
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