Further investment in North East Scotland

Scottish Government to go beyond Aberdeen City Deal investment.

Further investment has been announced today by Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities, Keith Brown, into Aberdeen’s infrastructure.

On top of the City Region Deal, where the Scottish Government is committed to 50:50 funding of the Aberdeen City Deal, an additional £254M will be invested in the North East’s infrastructure over the same five-ten year time span.

The Scottish Government is committed to the communities in the North East, appreciating the value the area adds to its economy. Funding will aid the delivery of improved transport and digital connectivity and local housing programmes requested by the local authorities.

Some £1Bn is already being invested in the area with the construction of a new £37M secondary school in Inverurie only announced this week. Out of this, some £170M has been earmarked for the railways (Aberdeen to Inverness) and £745M in the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

The First Minister will visit Aberdeen on Monday for meetings with the oil and gas industry where she will make a further announcement of Scottish government action to support innovation, exploration, skills and access to finance for the North Sea industry.

Welcoming the extra funding, Mr Brown said: “This announcement of additional funding sends an unequivocal message that Aberdeen and the North East remain central to driving future growth and prosperity in Scotland.

“While I support the City Deal agreement, the Scottish Government recognises that there is more support that can be made available to the region and that will deliver real economic benefits. That is why we have decided to invest £254M of additional Scottish Government support in key infrastructure in the North East to cement Aberdeen as one of the world’s leading cities for business and industry. It is clear that the appetite of the Councils, and the needs of the area require more.

“This additional funding includes £20M to unlock strategic housing development sites which will deliver affordable housing in the region and a further £10M to deliver competitive digital solutions to support economic development.”

“The £224M investment in the transport infrastructure will support improvements to the trunk road and strategic rail networks, including infrastructure improvements, double tracking at key pinch points, and other opportunities to improve journey times to the central belt and on to London, increasing capacity for passenger and freight services, supporting jobs and growth and providing an economic boost to the cities and communities of the North East.

“A grade-separated junction at Laurencekirk has been a long-standing commitment of the Scottish Government and we have been working hard with the two local authorities and Nestrans to deliver this much-needed scheme for the people of the north east as soon as possible, bringing improved road safety and economic benefits to road users and the local community in Laurencekirk and the north Angus area.

“This funding reaffirms our commitment to Aberdeen City and shire and supports over £1Bn of investment in the area including £50M for the Haudagain improvement works.”

 

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