NEW investment of up to £15million could be invested in Aberdeen’s city centre over the next five years through Aberdeen Inspired.
The city’s BID (Business Improvement District) has launched its Business Plan for 2021-2026, which shows how it will invest the £7.4million generated by the levy and potentially double that investment through leveraging funding from sponsorship, voluntary levies and national grants and funding streams.
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
Why? Free to subscribe, no paywall, daily business news digest.
The business plan sets out how Aberdeen Inspired will help the city centre recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and reinvent itself over the next five years.
The focused plan highlights the priority actions across five themes – helping your business; promoting the city centre; ensuring the city centre is attractive; a safe and welcoming heart of the city; and securing additional funding for projects – which will be rolled out if Aberdeen Inspired secures a positive vote in its crucial forthcoming ballot.
In line with Scotland’s other BIDs, the city centre BID must ballot the businesses within its footprint every five years.
A successful ballot will ensure Aberdeen Inspired can continue working on behalf of local restaurants, shops, bars, property owners, landlords, shopping centres and all other city centre businesses until at least 2026.
Adrian Watson, Aberdeen Inspired chief executive, said: “Following a year of unprecedented challenges for the UK high street and businesses of all sizes, our focus for the next few years is firmly on supporting our local businesses as we work together to recover and rebuild Aberdeen’s city centre.
“Our new Business Plan sets out how we intend to do this if we secure a successful vote in June. Aberdeen Inspired has been a vocal and united force in the city centre throughout the pandemic, supporting businesses and representing them in driving the City Centre Masterplan forward. Our voice will be needed more than ever as we embark on the road to recovery.
“We want to continue Aberdeen Inspired’s programmes and activities, such as community hubs and festivals, which have already helped rejuvenate the city centre and will be vital in restoring city centre confidence.”
