ALMOST £9 billion of public and private investment is expected to be delivered in the north-east of Scotland within the next 13 years, according to new research.
In their second tracker of infrastructure projects planned for the area, Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce (AGCC) and business services group EY found that £8.9bn of investment was expected to benefit the north-east by 2030.
It has been put together following the completion of projects totalling £89.5 million in their first tracker.
These included the third crossing over the River Don, known as the Diamond Bridge; the Capitol development in Aberdeen’s Union Street; and the relocation of Aberdeen’s Rowett Institute to a state-of-the-art research and nutrition facility at Foresterhill.
Most of the investment in the latest document is scheduled for the next three years and includes projects involving transport, leisure and retail, culture, hotels and business space, as well as marine developments and renewables initiatives. Among the most significant projects are: Aberdeen International Airport (£20m investment); Aberdeen’s Bon Accord Centre George Street extension (£100m); Kingsford Aberdeen Football Club stadium (£50m); Lochside Academy (£47m); Union Terrace Gardens improvements (c£20m); and the Silver Fin building offering office space between the city centre and Albyn Place (£65m).
AGCC’s research and policy director, James Bream, said the tracker showed that the area was continuing to grow.
He said: “To enable the economic renaissance vision for the region to be realised, we need people and organisations to bring investment, innovation, skills and jobs here, but if they are under the impression that nothing is happening they will simple go elsewhere.
“The first tracker we produced last year revealed more than £5bn of infrastructure projects were either planned or already under way in and around the region.
“What this newest version shows us is that the confirmed level of investment we are seeing here in the north-east is continuing to grow.”
Projects included in the tracker are those which have received planning permission or have funding committed. It does not include areas where there is large-scale investment that is harder to qualify, such as the residential sector. There are new towns including Chapelton of Elsick and Countesswells, as well as large-scale developments at Blackdog and Grandholme which represent significant investment in their own right. There is also investment in healthcare and in projects without a published cost, such as millions of pounds spent by investors on new boats for the fishing sector which all deliver high value engineering and fabrication jobs.
“This expenditure is on top of businesses investing in their own properties, equipment and technology to ensure our region remains one of the most productive in the UK. Altogether, the scale of investment paints a very positive picture of the future.”
Derek Leith, from EY Aberdeen, said: “The north-east has remained resilient during a particularly challenging couple of years.
“While it has been difficult, it has been a turning point forcing us to focus on the challenges that we need to face to ensure our region remains an attractive investment destination.”
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