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Aberdeenshire Council:feature 2 21/11/2012 12:21 Page 46
PUBLIC SECTOR: ABERDEENSHIRE COUNCIL
ABERDEENSHIRE
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t’s no surprise that oil and gas remain the main economic drivers in Aberdeenshire, while this strong pedigree in power generation has also made the region an ideal base for an ever-expanding renewables sector. However, energy is not the only growth sector with the food and drink industry also contributing significantly to the economic make up of the region. This rests principally with a considerable fishing industry operating out of Fraserburgh and Peterhead, the latter being the biggest landing port in Europe, while farming is also a very important sector in the region. “The biggest sector in revenue terms is energy which is clustered around Peterhead, Westhill and the city of Aberdeen,” confirms Head of Economic Development for Aberdeenshire Belinda Miller. “Oil, gas and the sub-sea industry is already huge
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and growing while also supporting overseas and international markets.” And it is against this relatively healthy – by current standards – economic back-ground that the Council has more than £400 million pounds to spend over the next six years on capital infrastructure projects. “The capital projects from my perspective are ways of making sure Aberdeenshire is investing in its future and for businesses to have the opportunity to use that capital investment to develop,” says Belinda. INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS A significant proportion of the fund is allocated to schools re-building schemes including up to four new academies as well as a number of upgrades and refurbishments. Schools are designed to cer-
tain minimum standards which includes an emphasis on low carbon development. Additionally, the programme has been guided by a principle of responding to needs within communities in order to accommodate for changing local circumstances. Transport and logistics is also a hugely important factor in the economy of Aberdeenshire which has the second biggest road network in Scotland. With recent Scottish Government announcement in the dueling of the A90 from Balmedie to Tipperty and confirmation of the construction of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route, considerable investment in transport is now just around the corner. Where so much of the local industry is transport dependent this is seen as another key economic driver given the huge costs incurred through business transport. Included in the
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FRASERBURGH MASTERPLAN upgrade to the road network is a major new bypass servicing both Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire. A third major area of investment is on the broadband network particularly in rural areas where the service is currently poor or even non-existent. This is especially relevant to the farming economy where farmers are now required to submit returns over the internet, and for encouraging high tech companies to locate in the area. “The need for broadband is economically and socially very important,” says Belinda. And it is very much with the bigger picture in mind that forms the basis for the work of the economic development team. “Overall we are working with three priorities: demographic and social change as well as economic development,” continues Belinda. “So although I’m head of economic development, in reality I’m working with the relevant Council services to ensure we are all creating the conditions to drive the economic growth of the area. “For example we have a strong track record in working with education so as well as preparing people for life we are investing in them to hopefully stay in the area and start businesses.”
The Fraserburgh Masterplan is a project to regenerate the north of Fraserburgh through housing and environmental improvements. It was short-listed as one of three projects for the national 2012 Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland 'Excellence in Regeneration' Award. The judges particularly noted the work to tackle and overcome a blighted and deprived area by improving the physical appearance and opening up the coastline as well as the excellent partnership working. Aberdeenshire Council has also supported Development Trusts in Huntly, Peterhead, Fraserburgh and Banff and Macduff.
ENERGETICA The economic development team has also been heavily involved with Energetica, a low carbon energy corridor that will stretch 30 miles from Aberdeen to Peterhead. Building on its status as a global
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centre for energy production, Energetica has been developed with the aspiration of attracting new companies to the already existing natural and built coastal environment of Aberdeenshire. Of the expected £750 million investment, £250 million is already under way such as the re-development of Peterhead Port and included in the overall Energetica scheme over the next five years are new science and industry parks; new housing schemes; a low carbon technology park and significantly The Aberdeen Energy and Innovation Parks Scheme. Established over the last two decades by Scottish Enterprise the parks have been developed and managed through a public / private partnership. One of the exciting opportunities is the SSE and Shell bid for siting a carbon capture storage scheme in Peterhead – technology that would be a global first. As well as a major new industry which could be up and running by 2017 the project would create up to 1000 new jobs. Along with a number of antic-
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PUBLIC SECTOR: ABERDEENSHIRE COUNCIL ipated sub sea electricity cables landing in the area (from offshore windfarms and Europe) there is an anticipated £5 billion investment in Energetica low carbon projects. “While there is an estimated £1 trillion of oil and gas still to be recovered in the North Sea, a key aspect of the thinking behind Energetica was a need to bring Aberdeenshire out of the perception that its energy infrastructure was entirely based on finite fossil fuels,” explains Belinda. “We want Energetica to be an exemplar of sustainability and low carbon energy production. The concept is a life-style approach so it’s not just about where you commute to work, but about where you choose to live and work in a low carbon way.” But the fossil fuels sector remains substantial, all the more so through the burgeoning oil and gas industries of developing economies overseas such as in Africa and South America. CONSIDERABLE EXPERTISE The considerable expertise that has been built up within oil and gas in Aberdeenshire has produced a sub-sector of new businesses able to tap into the new economies, which Belinda is keen to get behind. “The region has a lot to export in terms of our knowledge and design abilities. So we’re supporting small and medium companies who are innovative and breaking new ground in terms of deep-sea oil and gas exploration, working at depths or harsh conditions,” she says.
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RADIO COMMUNICATIONS Aberdeenshire Council recognised the need to improve radio communications to vehicles in this the most mountainous region of the UK. The council also recognised that radio communications bearers were the most cost effective means to support the performance needed for their IT network toover 300 buildings in the region. After a comprehensive tendering process, Scot-Tel-Gould Ltd was selected to provide and support the infrastructureneeded to meet these requirements. There has been a significant improvement in radio coverage. This has increased the safety standards forAberdeenshire staff and improved operational efficiency. The radio network is now providing up to a 1Gbps service between Aberdeenshire buildings.
“There are a lot of those small companies here and it’s just about being able to package that and offer them support to make contact with overseas markets such as in Brazil – a lot of business is coming through that way at the moment.” Another current area of investment in the region has come through the European LEADER funding scheme. Delivered across Scotland since 2008, LEADER is an innovative rural development programme which aims to improve the quality of life and economic prosperity in rural communities through locally driven development initiatives and projects. Focusing on two key themes: Revitalising Communities and Progressive Rural Economy,
LEADER funds in approved projects are required to be matched by a combination of public and private sector money. “LEADER funds can bring in other funds so for instance the lottery or another major donor will see there is match funding in place and that can unlock a lot of development,” says Belinda. Projects have covered a diverse range including a new skate park, the refurbishment of a castle, building a community centre and a feasibility study for the re-development of a harbour. “The reason that the LEADER approach succeeds is not only due to the variety of projects which it supports, but also its ability to deliver a broader strategy which will continue to revitalise communities and provide the legacy of a thriving rural society.” ECONOMIC GROWTH With major infrastructure projects, low carbon innovation and rural investment to work with, clearly Belinda and her team have a great deal on their plate. But, as she points out, ultimately it is down to the individual expertise within that team that enables the continued success and economic growth of Aberdeenshire. “My team know their individual industries really well – that’s how we successfully intervene and find innovative ways of supporting industry,” she says. “Businesses have to deliver their own economic growth but we are there to support them.” www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/support/index.asp
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PUBLIC SECTOR: MORAY COUNCIL
A VISION FOR MORAY
Produced from two complementary reports ‘The Moray Economic Strategy’ aims to deliver a vibrant 21st century region with a broad and diversified business base ost areas of the UK have a mixture of strengths and challenges. Moray’s economic strategy aims to build on the former while at the same time tackling the latter. Moray is located between Aberdeen and Inverness, with transport links via the A96 and A95 trunk roads, the Aberdeen to Inverness rail line, Aberdeen and Inverness airports and a cargo harbour at Buckie. Its strengths include world renowned brands such as Walkers Shortbread, Baxters, Johnstons of Elgin and Speyside whisky, with 48 of Scotland’s 106 distilleries in the area and the sector accounting for one quarter of the UK’s food and drink exports. It has a coastal location with established engineering capacity and expertise that mainly services the oil, gas and distillation industries and can support the growing renewable energy sector. Forres Enterprise Park has Enterprise Area status for life sciences with allocated funding of £9.5 million.
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GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES Additionally, Moray’s significant tourism assets and its situation in the Cairngorms National Park offer significant growth opportunities. Nevertheless, Moray is perceived to be remote and is highly reliant on government funded jobs. The dangers of this were highlighted in 2010 by the UK Government’s Strategic Defence and
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Security Review, which eventually resulted in RAF Lossiemouth continuing in operation but RAF Kinloss closing and becoming an army base. Principal Planning Officer David Duncan explains: “The Moray Economic Strategy has been produced from two complementary reports commissioned by The Moray Community Planning Partnership, namely ‘Elgin — City for the Future’ and ‘The Moray Economic Strategy’ Final Draft Reports. I was a member of Steering Groups which managed teams of consultants with responsibility for preparing project briefs though to writing the Final Report. The Moray Community Planning Partnership includes Moray Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Moray College UHI, NHS Grampian, and Moray Chamber of Commerce. “The partnership has developed a vision for Moray, backed by a focused plan of action to deliver a vibrant 21st century region with a broad and diversified business base. The aims for Moray are clear: to deliver population growth to potentially exceed 90,000; employment growth with the creation of more than 5000 jobs and a focus on engineering, science and technology. The ambition is also to raise earnings above the Scottish average.” Specific actions include streamlined planning to encourage development, improved transport links and infrastructure, investment in mobile and broadband networks, promoting Moray’s high
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quality of life and business environment, and attracting inward investment. There is a shortage of land for expansion and more needs to be identified, with business parks developed and expanded. New visitor facilities are to be produced to promote tourism, providing a broad range of higher value added spending opportunities and developing an all-year round tourism industry with co-ordinated events and promotions strategy. Moray’s Life Science Centre at the Moray College in Elgin is to be completed and expertise in the provision of E-Health medical services is to be fostered. REGENERATION SCHEME Town centres are to be improved in order to encourage continued investment. A typical example, as Principal Economic Development Officer Reni Milburn recounts, is the small town of Keith: “The Keith Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) will see investment of around £2 million within the Mid Street conservation area and will run from April 2011 to March 2016. This heritage led regeneration project is jointly funded by Historic Scotland, the fourth round of the Scotlandwide scheme by the Scottish Government and European Community Moray Leader 2007-2013 programme, and the Moray Council. “The project will also see significant investment from building owners within the area. The
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PUBLIC SECTOR: MORAY COUNCIL
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Keith CARS will see repairs being undertaken to key traditional buildings with an additional small grant scheme for property owners to repair traditional shop fronts, sash and case windows, cast iron rainwater goods and other external repairs. Keith CARS will encourage repairs which are traditional in character and undertaken using the appropriate materials and repair techniques. “The Keith CARS project sits within a bigger picture of moves to regenerate the economy and built environment of Keith. In addition to building repairs, the Keith CARS project will also include traditional skills training for young people and skill seekers, educational activities with local schools and elements to maximise community and economic benefit from the project. Activities will include improved signage and interpretation, and initiatives to bring empty shop units back into use.” Allied to the general regeneration of Moray, there is a concerted move for improved sustainability and helping the environment. The transition to a low carbon economy is expected to create new business opportunities and the intention is that Moray will become a centre for expertise. “The Council is actively implementing a Carbon Management Plan, part of which relates to reducing energy consumption,” recounts Council Planning Officer Emma Gordon. “To achieve this, there has been an extensive programme of insulation, draught proofing and lighting and heating control installation. The Council is also installing smart meters and building energy management systems that allow the identification of consumption trends and proactive management of these to reduce energy usage. “The energy efficiency and sustainability of council buildings old and new is now an important consideration and recent developments have sought to achieve a BREEAM excellent standard. In terms of reducing the carbon footprint of the area, the Council seeks to promote sustainability in new
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development through the planning process. Developers are encouraged to design buildings that are energy efficient, maximise the benefits of passive solar gain and incorporate sustainable construction techniques. “New development should encourage cycling and walking and improve non-vehicular links to help reduce the reliance on cars. The provision of quality open spaces, landscaping and green wedges within new developments connecting with existing green spaces is important. The provision of green infrastructure supports growing food, creation of wildlife habitats and amenity space, which are all related to addressing climate change.” RANGE OF OPPORTUNITIES Chairman of the Moray Community Planning Board, Councillor Allan Wright, comments: “The action plan identifies a range of opportunities, with projects for investment in broadband, renewable energy, life sciences, tourism and an Elgin City Centre Masterplan”. Community Planning Board member and chair of Moray Council’s economic development committee, Councillor Fiona Murdoch, adds: “By maintaining the partnership between the public sector agencies, the business community and our residents, we can, together, ensure that Moray grows as an attractive place to live, learn, work and to invest”. www.moray.gov.uk Tel: 01343 543541
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