2000 new jobs for Inverness in Longman landfill development
£48million spend from City-Region Deal fund announced
Two thousand new jobs could be created in Inverness, if the go-ahead is given to develop the unused landfill site at the Longman.
It is one of five projects worth almost £50million combined, which are part of Highland Council's plans to spend the £315million City-Region Deal, that is expected to attract a further £800million of private investment in the Highlands over the next 20-years.
The Inshes to Smithton Link Road, grade separation of the Longman Interchange, and West Link road improvements is among the major infrastructure work that will also be funded by the investment.
Land equivalent to 18-hectares could be used to build industrial and commercial units at the Longman landfill over the next decade.
HOW WILL THE £48MILLION BE SPENT?-------------------------------------
> ### £15million towards regenerating Inverness Castle into tourist attraction.> > > > ### £11million on 'Northern Innovation Hub' to help Highland economy deal with regional challenges.> > > > ### £10million to redevelop Longman landfill into industrial and commercial units.> > > > ### £10million contribution towards UHI School of Health, Social Care and Life Sciences.> > > > ### £3million for 'Science Skills Academy STEMD Hubs' to ease potential skills shortages in life sciences and renewable energy sector.
Stewart Nicol, chief executive of Inverness Chamber of Commerce told MFR News: "To bring business of scale and innovation; businesses that are going to drive employment, and raise the salary levels of the workforce in Inverness and the Highlands, we have to have somewhere that's available to them.
"That's really important as we look around the city, that we've got an area that's not just a cash cow, but it's actually offering a very attractive base in which to locate your business, or to base your staff who are working digitally around the globe.
"It will bring employment opportunities that really start to get Inverness and the Highland region a place in which businesses want to locate, because there's access to a skilled workforce in these new industries that we're seeking to attract."
LISTEN: MFR News reporter Bryan Rutherford tells newsreader John Rose how business leaders are reacting to the news...
THE BUSINESS CASES:-----------------------
Inverness Castle – A business case worth around £15 million has been submitted with a view to regenerating the castle, in order to create a sustainable, international high quality visitor attraction that celebrates the Spirit of the Highlands. This new attraction is hoped to bring in between 200,000 and 250,000 visitors annually, with a significant knock-on effect on other tourist attractions in the region, and a potential for increased business investment in Inverness city centre in the retail and accommodation sectors.
Northern Innovation Hub – A business case worth £11 million has been submitted to help foster and develop a Northern Innovation Hub to help deal with some of the challenges facing the Highland economy. The hub will utilize a number of programmes to help to attract and/or retain young people in the region, cover the productivity gap between the Highland Council area and Scotland as a whole, as well as attracting foreign and direct investment and new start-ups to the region.
Land Remediation** **– An initial business case worth up to £10 million has been submitted to make available the currently unused landfill site at the Longman. The project has the potential for 18 hectares of redundant industrial/commercial land to be brought into economic use, enabling up to 45,000m2 of new industrial and commercial units, with in excess of 2,000 new jobs created over a ten year period.
University of the Highlands and Islands School of Health, Social Care and Life Sciences - A business case has been submitted in order to contribute to the financing of the new University of the Highlands and Islands School of Health, Social Care and Life Sciences. The new multidisciplinary centre will act as a driver for new industry, inward investment and increased innovation across the region. It is expected to significantly enhance the impact and commercialisation of the university’s research in the life sciences, health and well-being disciplines. Businesses fostered by the initiative are expected over ten years to achieve a total of £40 million in sales of new medical technology and digital health/applied life science products and services, as well as providing 169 new full-time equivalent jobs.
Science Skills Academy STEMD Hubs – A business case worth £3 million has been submitted to help alleviate potential skills shortages in the life sciences and renewable energy sector as these areas benefit from projects of their own. In 2016-17 the project will work with partners including Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and the University of the Highlands and Islands to bring forward potential sites for Science Rooms (‘Newton Rooms’) in 5 locations, working with local education and businesses in each area.
> ### "There is no doubt these projects will help transform our city over the next 20 years. > > "We can finally improve some of our most frustrating roads, create good jobs to help retain more of our young people, who won't have to move away if they want a successful career and regenerate the unused landfill site at the Longman - creating over 2,000 jobs."> > > > > > DREW HENDRY MP