2016 will put Aberdeen on a path to “global city status” for decades to come, according to the leader of Aberdeen City Council.
Local authority leader Jenny Laing said this year will mark the beginning of the most revolutionary period for the north-east economy so far, with new schools on the horizon, more affordable housing, improved infrastructure and numerous new cultural developments in the pipeline.
Thanks to a host of regenerative development plans including the City Centre Masterplan, the Aberdeen City Region Deal and more, the Labour leader said there is no better time to be living and working in the north-east.
“Aberdonians can be extra proud of the plan that has been drawn up on their behalf by some of the best business and civic brains in the country,” she said.
“This is a joined-up approach which incorporates both the aesthetic and the economic at its very heart. The changes we will see in 2016 will put Aberdeen on a path to global city status for decades to come.
“When it comes to the UK, Aberdeen can claim to be a central pillar and punches well above its weight in encouraging and delivering economic success.”
Speaking exclusively to the Press and Journal, Ms Laing noted numerous projects scheduled to commence this year, including the £330million Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, a £325million harbour extension programme, the £30million redevelopment of Aberdeen Art Gallery, and a range of aesthetic improvements to the city-centre.
The Aberdeen City Region Deal, developed alongside Aberdeenshire Council, is also expected to be announced, bringing £2.9billion of investment to the region from Westminster and Holyrood.
The energy industry will also benefit from a multimillion-pound private sector initiative, Opportunity North East (ONE), established to help secure the region’s post-oil economy and save tens of thousands of jobs.
Launched by Wood Group tycoon Sir Ian Wood, the initiative has also signed up as a private sector partner in the City Region Deal.
The various schemes are part of the city council’s Shaping Aberdeen plan, which has been designed to help the north-east stay both socially and economically buoyant for years to come.
Ms Laing said 2016 will also be the year that brings an end to long-standing traffic congestion issues, with the completion of the Third Don Crossing and the opening of sections of the long-awaited Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.
She said the projects would create stronger infrastructure links between Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, and the rest of the north-east of Scotland.
“Infrastructure is a top priority for our Master Plan, but so too is creating a new wave of entrepreneurship and start-up spirit which will secure Aberdeen’s economic future for the next 50 years,” she said.
“As our Shaping Aberdeen plan evolves this year, we aim to develop a world-class environment for business and inward investment, start-ups, citizens, residents and visitors alike.
“It’s important that our partners going forward recognise that this isn’t town planning by numbers – this vision and strategy is designed to deliver the best possible future for Aberdeen.”
She also heralded the city council’s Community Intervention Plan that will be rolled out this year to support some of the poorest communities, including Northfield, Middlefield and Tillydrone.
“So much will reveal itself over the next number of months and years. There will be much to look forward to in 2016,” she said.
“This is genuinely exciting – this is the first time Aberdonians will have seen anything like the scale of this economic and social regeneration and it is a great time to be living and working here.”