STIRLING Council has announced plans to transform the face of the city with a new £200 million regeneration plan.

The council said yesterday the plans could make Stirling an “economic and cultural powerhouse”, allowing it to “compete” with Scotland’s other cities.

The job creation plans include a new digital hub in the city specialising in technology development, and a revitalised cultural quarter for the arts and creative industries with a centre and conference space.

The plans also include proposals for a new market space and all-weather performance area, and the development of a parkland area in the shadow of Stirling Castle.

Council members will vote later this week to decide if they wish to proceed with the plans before going to a full vote, with finalised funding and business proposals in October.

If plans get the go-ahead the council will continue to work with both the public and private sectors as well as the Stirling City Commission to complete the proposals.

The council also outlined plans to build a state-of-the-art business centre as part of the project to ensure Stirling can compete in the modern world.

Johanna Boyd, council leader and chair of the Stirling City Commission, said: “This ambitious plan is designed to re-position Stirling as an economic and cultural powerhouse – building on our unique advantages, advancing investment opportunities and encouraging diversification and growth for the benefit of all our citizens and communities.”

Council chief executive Stewart Carruth said: “Like cities around the world, Stirling is thinking about its future and how we can attract people and business to the area and create a vibrant and cosmopolitan city for everyone to enjoy.

“We are very lucky in Stirling. We may be a small city but we have a great location, we are really well connected and we have a wonderful tradition of heritage. Our challenge is to bring all of that together, contemporise it and modernise it, and the City Development Frame-work is an important step to making that happen.”