 Dave Anderson explains his vision
Against a global backdrop of economic gloom and uncertainty, Director of City Development Dave Anderson called for positive collaborative action to create opportunities for the wider Edinburgh city region – stretching from Stirling to the Borders.
“In the wake of recent tumultuous events it’s more important than ever that we collaborate,” he told the 200 delegates. “In Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is made up of two symbols: one means ‘danger’ and the other is ‘opportunity’. I don’t believe we
should be blind to the dangers of the current economic environment but I do believe firmly that the challenge for the city region is to seek opportunities to move forward and take bold steps to close the gap on the top-performing regions across Europe.”
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 Delegates assembled at the Flying High conference at the Royal College of Physicians
The conference, chaired by broadcaster Sally Magnusson, marked the release of the foundations for a new Edinburgh City Region Economic Development Framework. However, Dave took the opportunity to also reveal a set of key goals that the City of Edinburgh Council is keen to achieve within this framework. These recommendations are set out in full in Dave’s proposal which can be downloaded at www.capitalreview.co.uk,but here is a brief summary:
- Improve connectivity by establishing a new Forth crossing, a third tram route (from the Forth to the Bioquarter) and the reopening of the Waverley train line to the Borders, all by 2020.
- A 30% reduction in carbon emissions across all sectors in the region, largely through reducing water and energy consumption.
- An emphasis on economic diversity by promoting sectors such as science, technology and tourism.
- A goal of securing the highest level of foreign direct investment per head of population in northern Europe by 2020.
- A 30% rise in productivity per head – again by 2020.
- 12,000 new affordable homes over the next 10 years in Edinburgh alone.
- A £1m per annum investment pool set up in response to the impending recession to support redundant workers and struggling businesses.
To achieve these and other goals across the entire region, Dave proposed the creation of a Regional Economic Assembly. He also called for more effective marketing and branding for the whole city region to gain maximum value from the international appeal of Edinburgh, as well as better communications with the public and the media.
“Many things will of course remain best dealt with at local level,” said Dave. “But in areas such as planning, transport, land use and economic development, we need to deliver at a regional level. I hope the proposals will be given a fair wind. I also believe that the time for talk is over and that we need to commit to action.” |
