A group which is aiming to bring shoppers back to the high street has appointed its programme manager.
Former newspaper editor Ken Duncan has joined the Rediscover Peterhead team to oversee the delivery of projects brought forward through the port’s business improvement district (BID) plan.
Last night, he said the job was a “major” one.
Local businesses voted to approve the creation of a BID – similar to the one in Inverurie – last year.
The five-year plan hopes to create a buzz in the town centre and claw shoppers back from the web.
Mr Duncan said: “There is no doubt that the task ahead is a major one, but Peterhead town centre businesses have backed the BID and now want to see real, and meaningful change.
“During the consultation period, there was a real positivity for projects such as CCTV, marketing, events and general improvements.
“Now that process of change can begin and the businesses themselves will decide how and when we do that.”
Mr Duncan, who also headed development trusts in both Peterhead and Fraserburgh, also paid tribute to Iain Sutherland, who campaigned for the creation of the BID.
He added: “The information and feedback gathered by Iain paved the way for a far-reaching five-year business plan which sets out our aims and provides us with the needs and wishes of the business community we serve.”
The BID is funded by an annual levy, paid by the 225 businesses within Peterhead’s town centre.
About £110,000 will be generated in each of the five years it runs.
Rediscover Peterhead chairman John Pascoe described the initiative as “the biggest move for change” in decades.
He said: “Peterhead town centre needs to change with the times, it needs to improve and it needs to develop and thrive in so many ways.
“As a BID, we must work to our five-year plan, but I would encourage all businesses to liaise with us on new and innovative ideas to bolster our efforts.”