Pro-Indy march to bring city centre to standstill

Yes supporters will take to streets of Perth in their thousands

As many as 20,000 pro-independence demonstrators will bring the centre of Perth to a standstill as they march miles through the city.

On September 7, from 1pm, independence supporters will march from Seven Acres park to North Inch, with a programme of road closures being put in place.

Perth and Kinross Council has been praised by organisers of the All Under One Banner march, who have already held six such events across the country this year.

Founder of the campaign group and spokesperson Neil MacKay said eight major marches would be taking place across Scotland this year, with the majority stretching for around a mile to a mile and a half. However, along with the initial Glasgow event, Perth’s procession will be travelling twice as far through the city centre.

Mr MacKay said: “This is our seventh march this year. We’re expecting between 10,000 and 20,000, about half of whom will be local.

“Planning has been relatively straightforward. Some local authorities have made a fuss but Perth and Kinross Council and Police Scotland have made things very smooth.

“It’s a good event, but we’re here for more than just the social side. We’ve been working with Yes Perth City to put this together and we’re all here because we want to see an independent Scotland with full powers.”

Perth and Kinross Council approved the plans through delegated powers earlier this month with no objections submitted. The local authority has now released an extensive list of road closures necessary for the march to take place.

They include the route itself and side roads leading from it.

The route begins on Newhouse Road and moves down Crieff Road, Dunkeld Road, Atholl Street and Kinnoull Street, before reaching the pedestrianised High Street and Tay Street. It will be completely shut off to traffic.

All roads leading on to these will be closed off to vehicles, but not pedestrians. The closures will start at 12.30pm and operate on a rolling basis, reopening after the parade has passed.

A council spokesperson said: “We apologise for any inconvenience this will cause and we will aim to have the roads reopened as quickly as possible.”

Roads around Perth itself will be affected because the M9/A9 near Broxden will be the official diversion, taking traffic from the centre.

Speed limits will be dropped to 50mph and 30mph. Local diversions will be in place but officers have stressed that emergency services will have full access to the city.

“We’re expecting between 10,000 and 20,000, about half of whom will be local. NEIL MACKAY