Trump or Wind? - October 2011
Let me start this piece by saying that I am not a golfer, and that I am not easily impressed. It follows that I am not easily impressed by golf courses. But I was impressed by what Donald Trump has achieved in the ‘Great Dunes of Scotland’. Let me explain.
As your Chief Executive, I was privileged to have an early sight of the course recently – the same day that it appeared in the Press and Journal. Even with the little that I know about golf, I could see that this was an exceptional course in an exceptional location, and that it would be a challenge which no serious golfer could resist. Expect this stunning course to be on every golfers’ bucket-list. (My advice is to book your tee-off time now because it will be in great demand.) Donald Trump has every right to boast that this will be the best golf course in the world, a claim that may have met with scepticism in the last few years, but which will be justified by every player who pits their will against the dramatic and challenging holes. If you intend to take it on, book your psychotherapy before you go. He clearly had the vision to see something amongst these dunes that others had not, and with his team has created a golf course which will put Aberdeen City and Shire on the map.
What was also impressive, was the care that had been taken to work around the dune system to craft the route of the 18-hole course around the site so that the impact on the environment was minimised. As Donald Trump said to us as he showed us round, ‘the dunes are our friend – why would we want to destroy them’. The fairways and greens nestle into the location in as unobtrusive way as possible, and his team have done an excellent job in blending a golf course into a sensitive site. Golf tourism will be a winning proposition for the region in the future, with this course at its heart.
The Trump International Golf Course is one of several key infrastructure developments for the North-east which will come on stream in the next few years. Next up is the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) which is currently out to planning consultation. You will all know that Donald Trump is against this development. The EOWDC is not a wind-farm in the normal sense, but a test centre for offshore wind infrastructure. It is clear to ACSEF, to the Chamber and to all those concerned to ensure that this region has a long-term economic future, that this region will only gain sustainable competitive advantage from the offshore wind investment over the next few decades if it can build a strong base of expertise, know-how and intellectual capital in renewables to match that in oil and gas, and morph from an oil and gas ‘capital’ to an energy ‘capital’. The EOWDC is essential to position Aberdeen at the heart of this opportunity. Energy will be a winning proposition for the region in the future, with this test-centre at its heart.
It is no accident that the first two research surveys conducted by AGCC in co-operation with ACSEF and RGU, and as part of the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) arrangements were for Tourism and for Renewables. You can view these at
www.agcc.co.uk/chamber-network.
Next up in the impressive list of imaginative developments for the region is the culmination of the International Design Competition for the City Gardens Project. We have no doubt that all of you are looking forward to seeing the designs from the impressive short-list of architects. The recent Genius Loci initiative from the Chamber made it clear that we believe that a vibrant, attractive and engaging city-centre is critical to realising the full economic potential of this region. The Chamber has always suggested that a world-class urban garden designed with imagination and delivered with care will be an asset to the city and shire, especially if we can use the opportunity to boost our creative economy with new world-class cultural infrastructure. Cultural tourism will be a winning proposition for the region in the future, with this garden at its heart.
There is less positive news for the bypass (AWPR), with the prospect of the appeal process stretching in to 2012, and further delays to the construction of this essential infrastructure, which will release the full potential of the Energetica corridor, Dyce Drive and points North. In many ways this is the turnkey investment, which unlocks the true potential of the others, and the economy of the region cannot afford construction to be delayed until 2019. The region will not have a winning proposition with traffic congestion at its heart.
The Energetica project is making fast progress with a significant proportion of the planned investment already in train. Investment designed to turn this corridor between Aberdeen and Peterhead into an exemplar of what life can be in the future. Quality of life will continue to be a winning proposition for the region.
There are other developments in the pipeline, but there is not space to describe these to you. You will have got the message by now. Most other regions would give their eye teeth to have this range of investment in a successful future. We must get on with delivering this step-change to the investment in the potential of the region. This investment will be a winning proposition for the region in the future.
Let me return to the question at the head of this page, and extend its scope: Trump or Wind? Or City Gardens? Or AWPR? Or Energetica? The answer, of course, is that we need all of this investment to be exceptional. There is no either/or choice that is realistic, and we’ve all got to learn to live with each other and to live with change. Now, have you got a smile on your face? |
