Beach Dons stadium, new Buchan railway and Woolmanhill Hospital revamp… Top items on north-east election wish-list revealed

Helping build a new Dons stadium at Aberdeen beach, restoring rail links to Fraserburgh and Peterhead, and taking action on the abandoned Woolmanhill Hospital are among business leaders’ top demands from a new Scottish Parliament.

Tensions are steadily starting to rise across Holyrood’s political ranks as we draw closer to the battle for votes in May.

In exactly 100 days, politicians will go head to head to try and secure a parliamentary seat – each geared up with a list of promises to bring new fortunes to the north-east.

There have been quite a few made already…

Party leaders have hinted at cutting bills, creating more energy jobs and improving transport links as they try to warm up potential voters ahead of the big day.

But what do business head honchos across the region really want?

Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, which represents more than 1,350 firms, have now revealed what vying parties will need to do to win over the north-east.

Demands made over energy industry

The future of the oil and gas industry has been a talking point for some time.

So, naturally, this is also one of the chamber’s key areas for much-needed improvement.

Energy chiefs have reiterated demands that Scottish leaders push for Westminster to scrap the controversial windfall tax – and support domestic oil and gas production to protect jobs.

This echoes urgent calls from dozens of companies across the north-east, which have seen their profits plummet due to the harsher restrictions.

Hundreds of offshore workers have been made redundant over the last two years, with bosses stressing green jobs are not being created fast enough to replace those being lost.

And the chamber is using their manifesto to once again push for a positive change.

They are also calling for those who come into power in May to double the original £500 million allocation for the Just Transition Fund and ensure it is fully delivered by 2030.

In addition, they ask for the government to speed up the region’s transition to renewables and set up a “properly resourced” offshore wind hub in Aberdeen.

How can Holyrood help regenerate Aberdeen?

Making the north-east a “competitive and attractive” place to live and work does not depend solely on a thriving oil and gas industry, however.

And chamber bosses make sure to stress that.

As well as boosting the energy sector, they are pushing for further government investment into rejuvenating the city and breathing new life into forlorn buildings at the heart of it.

These include Woolmanhill Hospital, which has now lain empty for about a decade, and Aberdeen’s former textile manufacturing powerhouse, Broadford Works.

The latter has been left crumbling into decay since bosses shut its doors in 2004, putting an end to its 200-year history and shedding thousands of staff.

There had been plans to redevelop the long-deserted site over the years, but its future remains in limbo – leaving the once thriving factory sticking out like a rotten tooth in the city centre.

Meanwhile, there are still no plans to revive Woolmanhill after hotel and flats plans were shelved in the pandemic.

Last year, the owners emailed Aberdeen City Council about the possibility of turning the listed landmark into housing for displaced Raac residents.

But this bold offer was never taken on. One local woman, backed by an architect, recently revealed her dream to turn it into a street art museum.

On a more positive note, Aberdeen University bosses are exploring ways to do up Marischal College East and potentially lease it out to a new taker to secure its future.

Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce bosses believe the city’s arts, culture and heritage assets should be treated as “core economic infrastructure”.

And they want the Scottish Government to play a bigger role in preserving them for generations to come with extra area-based funding.

And could new leaders help pave the way for a Dons stadium?

Another hot topic of discussion that has made the chamber’s wish-list is the proposal for a new Dons community stadium at the city’s seafront.

Aberdeen FC and council chiefs have pledged to explore “the art of the possible” when it comes to making it happen after going back and forth on the idea for years.

The major issue dividing the sides up until this point has been whether any public money should go into the construction of this new seafront ground.

Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce thinks the Scottish Government could perhaps push the idea in a positive direction by backing the project.

This, they say, could be achieved through “active government partnership”.

But this is not all.

They also want those who take power in May to help boost tourism in the region by providing extra cash for international sporting and cultural events.

What about university and college funding?

Nescol, Aberdeen University and Robert Gordon University have all encountered financial strife in the last few years.

And bosses blame insufficient central funding as playing a major part in the cash crisis.

Now the chamber is calling on the next parliament to work “in partnership with our universities and college” to make them more sustainable.

They say extra cash for the “persistently under-funded” college would enable “expanded apprenticeship provision, reskilling, and outreach to disadvantaged and disengaged
learners”.

And could election result put north-east railway hopes back on track?

Their hopes and dreams for the future of the north-east are not restricted to the boundaries of Aberdeen.

The chamber leaders say transport should be at the forefront of the agenda as “the region’s connectivity still lags behinds other parts of Scotland”.

Chamber chiefs add this “acts as a brake on economic development and growth”.

And to rectify this, they are pushing the government to fast-track the dualling of the A96, as well as reduce train journey times between Aberdeen and the central belt.

They also call for more investment in Aberdeen International Airport and bus infrastructure – including for the Aberdeen Rapid Transit scheme.

However, at the top of their list stands the demand to restore the long-abandoned rail links to Fraserburgh and Peterhead.

Campaigners have been pushing for new stations to be created at major Aberdeenshire town and villages such as Ellon, Pitmedden and Newmachar for years.

They outline a range of benefits that this could bring, with north Aberdeenshire – particularly Peterhead – playing a key role in the shift from oil and gas to renewables.

The current Scottish Parliament has given some cash towards the project in recent years, as well as £165,000 for a feasibility study.

But so far, nothing has been set in stone.

And the chamber thinks the upcoming elections might be just the time to change that and commit to connecting the Buchan community to the rest of the country.

Would this – or any of the other items on their wish-list – become a priority for the candidates in the upcoming elections?

We have 100 sleeps until we find out.

[Source: Press and Journal]