RUSSELL BORTHWICK
Aberdeen’s city centre masterplan was unanimously approved last June by the city’s council.
This was a pivotal moment, heralding the new vision that will help write the next chapter in the Aberdeen success story.
Our city centre has a vital role to play in our regional economy, but research shows it has acted as a barrier to business growth, investment and tourism.
We need a city that is the economic hub of – as well as a gateway to - a fantastic and prosperous region.
Now, almost a year on from the original decision, our local economy is at a crossroads and the clock is ticking.
On May 11, a council meeting discussed the pedestrianisation of a main thoroughfare which is the first key decision on the detail of the masterplan which promises “streets for people” and “street life and events”.
This is a 25-year plan, but we are playing catch-up.
Other city regions in the UK without the economic benefits we enjoy here have pushed ahead, constructing iconic buildings, reinventing their city centres and developing new business sectors.
I spoke to the assembled councillors at the meeting, reflecting the opinion of businesses in the region and I’m not sure that this differs greatly from that of every Aberdonian.
Everyone agrees that we need to modernise and reinvent the city centre and that the masterplan is the only route forward.
We need to accept that there will be individual elements that do not meet with universal approval but the big picture must triumph over the minutiae.
Talking to outsiders, there is a sense that this area is becoming infamous for its complacency, inertia and “glass half-empty” outlook with too many disparate forces pulling in different directions.
Strong foundations are in place but we are far from the finished article.
To become that, we need the confidence, ambition, strong leadership and brave decision-making that will deliver the plan and define our future.
We want people and organisations to deliver investment, innovation and jobs here, so let’s not make this seem unattractive or too much bother for them or they will go elsewhere.
We must embrace change, instead of resisting it, to enable us to diversify and grow our economy.
Aberdeenshire councillors demonstrated this last month by supporting the £80million Jack Nicklaus Ury golf course development against the recommendation of planners, and their colleagues in the city have the chance to send out a similar bold message.
Following their recent meeting, the council has announced a short consultation period and plans to make a decision at its June meeting.
The masterplan has already been the subject of extensive public consultation, we need to move forward with the plan, and we need to do so now.
Doing nothing is not an option.
This is already a great place to live, work, study, visit, invest and do business.
It is everyone’s responsibility - politicians, businesses and all Aberdonians - to pull together to make it even better.
Russell Borthwick is chief executive of Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here