By Chris Marzella

Copyright dailyrecord

More than £750,000 is set to be pumped into Stirling’s City Park in a major push to transform it into the nation’s most sustainable outdoor events venue with space for 30,000 people. The cash injection will be used to upgrade the site – nestled beneath the historic Stirling Castle – making it ready to host massive music gigs, concerts and festivals. The scheme is being bankrolled through the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal, a whopping £214 million collaboration between both Stirling and Clackmannanshire Councils, the University of Stirling and the UK and Scottish Governments. The improvements have been shaped by advice from industry specialists and feature fresh entry points, water and power supply connections, better drainage systems, broadband networks and upgraded internal road access. The initiative, which forms part of the City Region Deal’s Culture and Heritage programme, hopes to draw major concerts, festivals and events over the coming 15 years and pull in at least an extra 500,000 visitors through concerts, festivals or events over the next 15 years. The construction work is expected to be completed by March 31 next year and depends on planning approval and other necessary official permissions. Click here for more news and sport from the Stirling area. Stirling Council Leader, Cllr Gerry McGarvey said: “We know from speaking to organisers that the lack of in-built infrastructure at City Park Stirling has reduced the opportunities for more large-scale events at the site such as the successful Stirling Summer Sessions. “This exciting project will transform City Park Stirling into a high-quality, sustainable outdoor venue that can compete with anywhere in Scotland for major music, cultural and civic events. “It will generate significant and wide-ranging economic and social benefits for both the city and the wider region through increased tourism, investment and job creation, as well as delivering important environmental improvements at the site. “The investment reaffirms Stirling and Scotland’s reputation as a world-class events destination and we look forward to engaging with the events industry on future opportunities.” Scottish Government Business Minister Richard Lochhead said: “I’m very pleased that £754,000 of Scottish Government funding will allow for the transformation of this historic site into a large-scale events venue. “This will help to create opportunities for major cultural events that will attract hundreds of thousands of visitors, generate jobs and showcase Scotland’s incredible talent on the global stage. “This is being delivered as part of our £45 million investment in the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal. The Deal aims to deliver up to 1,500 jobs by boosting green innovations, digital connectivity and cultural activities throughout the region.” The City Park Stirling Business Justification Case received approval from the City Region Deal Joint Committee on Thursday, September 18. The City Region Deal’s Culture, Heritage and Tourism programme is set to pump investment into the development of cultural, heritage and tourism assets across the region. City Park was selected as the venue for Runrig’s farewell concert, drawing a crowd of 50,000 fans in August 2018. The park has also been the stage for concerts by Texas and Skippinish, as well as hosting the Stirling Summer Sessions in 2024. The six-day event featured performances from big names like Shania Twain, Tom Jones and Busted.