'Creative Hotspot'.... but a Property No-Go
Aberfeldy has sneeked into the top 20 of Britain’s “creative hotspots” - the most inspirational places to live in terms of social, cultural and creative mix. The publication ‘CreativeWorld’, has named the UK’s second most creative place after Peckham in London as Glasgow; but Edinburgh didn’t make the list at all.
Aberfeldy’s Watermill arts centre, and its literary and music scene, led to its inclusion in the list at number 19. Dan Holliday of The Fish Can Sing, the publishers, said: “This proves that creativity doesn’t necessarily stem from stereotypical, urban environments. Anstruther (10th) and Aberfeldy are both serious players to watch - both will attract increasing numbers of creative people over the coming years, and we can expect to see further great work coming out of them.”
Anstruther on the Fife coast was nominated because of its folk-pop music connections with singers such as KT Tunstall .
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Richard Holloway, the chairman of the Scottish Arts Council, said: “It’s exciting that these small communities have shown that innovative, creative and entrepreneurial spirit. It’s a good portent for the future.”
John Swinney, North Perthshire MSP, commented: “There’s a really strong cultural and social mix in the (Aberfeldy) community, and a tremendous amount of innovation.”
The possibility of this rating providing a ‘St Ives effect’ in Highland Perthshire is remote. When the cluster of artists formed there, and catalysed a property boom around a burgeoning creative community, there was an housing stock at modest prices to enable this.
In this area, however, there is already an impossibly spiralling real estate tariff. This prohibits house purchase by locals of modest income, let alone allowing a foothold for an influx of talent abandoning its traditional garret. Nowadays, garrets in the city cannot buy bothies hereabouts.
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