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Provide your support for the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Structure Plan

The Aberdeen City and Shire Strategic Development Planning Authority (SDPA) has drawn up the Structure Plan to ensure the region maintains and enhances its attractiveness and continues to develop sustainably over the next 20 years.

The document maps out a framework for the delivery of the new homes, businesses, transport infrastructure and facilities to ensure continued prosperity. This is an extremely important document for the whole region. It sets out our framework for growth and will have a huge bearing on everything the two councils do over the next two decades.

The Structure Plan has been submitted to Scottish Ministers and placed on deposit to allow an eight-week period for any objections to be lodged. The closing date for this is 24 April. Ministers will consider any objections and determine whether an Examination in Public (public inquiry-style hearing) (EiP) is needed.

It is largely only objections or complaints from a minority that are received in this process and it is important that the support of the silent majority is also heard. The delay that an Examination in Public will bring to the approval of the Structure Plan is likely to be considerable and this will have a detrimental affect on economic development within our region.

Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce has sent a letter to Scottish Ministers in support of the Structure Plan, the basis of which is detailed below. In order to encourage early approval of the Structure Plan and to help to avoid a potential Examination in Public, we would encourage Chamber members to follow the same course. The text of the Chamber's letter may be used as a basis for your own communication.

Full details of the Structure Plan can be viewed by clicking here

The following letter has been sent from the Chamber to Scottish Ministers

Sandra Carey
The Scottish Government
Directorate for the Built Environment
Area 2-H
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ

Dear Scottish Ministers,

Re: Aberdeen City and Shire Structure Plan

I am writing to you on behalf of the members of Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce in support of the Aberdeen City and Shire Structure Plan, recently submitted for your consideration.

We feel that the Structure Plan fully reflects the aspirations for growth as outlined in the Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Future (ACSEF), the region's partnership with business for Economic Development. The ACSEF action plan aims to deliver the vision for 2025 which was laid out in the economic manifesto published in the summer of 2007, and has the full support of AGCC.

Significant progress has already been made on ACSEF priorities and we feel that the approval of the Structure Plan is crucial to the further delivery of the economic vision for our region.

We are aware that support for the Structure Plan is silent and that Ministers only receive objections. We wanted to place on record that the Chamber fully supports the Structure Plan and we would urge the Scottish Ministers to give their early approval to this immensely important and influential document.

Yours sincerely