February

Could the North-east have done more to secure Government support for the infrastructure deserved by its economic success over the last 35 years?

In my view the North-east has not made enough of its tremendous story. Even in the early 70s, with vast investment and an exciting new frontier ahead, it did not take long for the most pessimistic geo-scientist to realise this was much bigger than we had ever dreamed, so someone should have been beating the drum then. Here we are, very much into the autumn of Aberdeen's oil and gas adventure, and the bulk of Britain's population are not aware of the contribution we have made to the UK economy and employment. Was an opportunity missed? Definitely. Is it too late? Probably not. Oil and Gas UK has raised governmental awareness, but it will take sustained effort, on the back of developments like the City Square Project, to sell Aberdeen to the rest of the UK as the global capital it deserves to be.

Peter Brown, PSN Managing Director – UK

Graeme_Ross_001 I feel the key issue in the Government supporting the infrastructure in Aberdeen City and Shire is the sheer time it takes for projects to be approved and then move forward. One particular case in point is the AWPR, which has been ongoing for so many years and is understandably escalating, and will continue to, in terms of its cost. This, surely, cannot be good for our economy.

Another example is the latest plan for the City Square project to revitalise the heart of Aberdeen. This, I fear, will again be a hugely lengthy process. If we were to act quicker with these kind of projects, it would certainly bring forward the benefits in terms of attracting increased tourism spend to the region, as well as making the city a more attractive place to live and work.

I also believe there is a certain degree of Central Belt bias and that the Government is not fully aware of the needs of the North-east. The North-east economy is a real power house and with the right support and investment could drive Scotland through this recession. It is therefore imperative it is not left to chance and overlooked by Government when it comes to supporting local infrastructure.

Graeme Ross - Director for Scotland, Eastern Airways

GRANT_WILSON_005 Decision-making processes, a lack of investment and public costs are having a major impact on Aberdeen’s infrastructure:

Whilst Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route finally getting the go ahead is a significant step forward, we need movement quickly and efficiently to ensure it becomes a reality.

Aberdeen cannot afford to waste any more time. The AWPR route should provide better links, faster movement around the city and, in the short term, much needed jobs in local communities. But if it had been decided earlier during the 30 years of deliberation, we would now be in a position to press for improvements to other areas such as the Haudagain.

Other forms of transport also badly need reviewed such as air links to Aberdeen which are poor and expensive. While trains are a good option with reasonable timetables, it is an expensive way to travel to and from Aberdeen, compared with Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee, and they don’t circulate widely enough around the North and North-east.

Investment also needs to be better prioritised because better foresight would lead to more effective solutions.

Grant Wilson, Co-director of transport logistics agency DriverHire, Aberdeen

GAVIN_MURRAY_001 The North-east certainly does deserve better infrastructure. We have 30 vehicles which go all over Europe and North Africa and the biggest bottleneck they ever experience is the Haudagain Roundabout.

The traffic situation is deteriorating all the time and Aberdeen is now worse than even London. It is horrendous. The bypass is long overdue and desperately needed. Businesses from the North-east have put a huge amount into the Scottish economy but their investment has not been returned to the local economy.

Delays getting out of Aberdeen can add at least an hour to drivers’ journeys at certain times and that has a knock on effect for the remainder of their trip.