Perth councillors to vote on Orange march in May

Apr 27 2010 by Johnathon Menzies, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

AROUND 4000 Orangemen are set to parade through the streets of Perth this summer.

Part of the Orange Order’s annual events to commemorate the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, the proposed July procession is set to begin on the South Inch and circle the city centre’s main thoroughfares.

Robert McLean, a member of the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland, said people from across the country are set to flock to the Fair City for one of the organisation’s showpiece occasions.

Mr McLean told the PA yesterday: “We’re expecting around 4000 of our members to attend, and approximately 40 bands.

“We’re split into four geographical areas throughout Scotland, so it will be mainly people from our lodges based in the east of the country who head to Perth – usually from places like Fife and Edinburgh.

“I would imagine the procession will take about an hour in total. We usually have speakers and a thanksgiving service afterwards, and then everyone gets on a bus and goes home.”

Last held in Perth in 1988, Mr McLean added that several meetings have taken place with both Perth and Kinross Council and Tayside Police to allay any safety fears.

He said: “I’ve heard there’s a lot of roadworks in Perth at the moment, so we were expecting some problems with traffic congestion.

“But we’ve met with the police and the council and tweaked the route slightly.

“Last year’s parade in Kirkcaldy passed without any problems whatsoever, we’re not expecting it to be any different this time around.”

Councillor Peter Mulheron, convener of the local authority’s licensing committee, confirmed an application for a parade licence will be heard at a special meeting on May 13.

Tayside Police Chief Inspector Dave Barclay, who will oversee the policing of the parade if receives a green light, said the force would work closely with both the organisers and the council to minimise any potential disruption.

Chief Inspector Barclay continued: “Something like this will obviously generate some traffic congestion, but I would reassure both the public and commercial premises that we will work hard to minimise this.

“I monitored the policing situation during last year’s parade in Kirkcaldy and, as far as I’m aware, there were no public order offences reported.

“We will ensure there are breaks in the flow of the parade to allow people to continue to go about their daily business while it is going on. They did that last year in Fife, and I was happy with the way that progressed.

“It will require a significant amount of officers, but we won’t be able to put a precise number on it until it’s actually been approved.”

Councillor Mulheron stressed that “each application would be considered on its own merits” and was unwilling to comment any further.