Highland Council Announces 10 Year Capital Programme

19th June 2013

Council’s new 10-year building programme will boost Highland construction industry.

The Leadership of The Highland Council today (Thursday) unveiled ambitious and exciting long term plans that will boost the Highland economy, with spending of almost one billion pounds over the next 10 years.

A report being presented to the full Council on Thursday 27 June sets out a firm five-year programme of £470 million and an indicative second five-year programme of a similar scale.

The Leadership see the commitment in a new 10-year capital programme as a huge boost to the Highland economy, with the potential for 500 jobs to be created in the building industry, together with jobs for young people through the new shared apprenticeship scheme.

The report to the Council highlights that a firm programme, with an identified funding package, is in place for the first five years, with investment ranging from £78 million to £117 million per year during that period. This is a 16% increase over recent years.

The Council will increase its borrowing at a cost of £2.5m per year to finance this additional capital investment.

The indicative programme between 2018/19 and 2022/23 represents project priorities, without any affordability assumptions made at this time.

Council Leader Councillor Drew Hendry said: “A key priority of this Council is to support the creation of jobs to ensure the economic growth of the Highlands. We can deliver this commitment by moving to a 10-year capital programme and allocating levels of annual investment on capital projects far beyond anything achieved before.. We estimate that our spending in the firm first five-year programme will create up to 500 new jobs in the construction industry and many of these will be young workers through our recently announced shared apprenticeship scheme.

“Over the second five year programme we would aim to maintain the momentum of spending. This is really very exciting news for the Highlands. It has the potential to transform our economy.”

He said the Council would also have schemes “shovel ready” so that if extra funds become available it will be in a position to take full advantage.

Depute Leader, Councillor David Alston, said: ““This is an imaginative programme for capital expenditure over the next 10 years which will ensure that we both plan for essential expenditure and remain light on our feet, able to respond to new opportunities as they arise. Capital expenditure on this level is a commitment to the future of the Highlands and an indication of the key role of local government is setting the direction for the region.”

Convener Councillor Jimmy Gray said: “Moving to a 10-year programme will be welcome news for the building industry and I am sure they will see the importance of gearing up to meet the new and exciting challenges that lie ahead. There are major projects in the programme and we have also set aside extra funds for improvements to play areas, bus shelters and burial grounds.”

Over the next five years, Education Culture and Sport is in line to benefit from £201 million; Transport Environmental and Community Services, £182 million and Health and Social Care, £11 million.

Those education, culture and sport projects, which appear in the spending programme include:-

• Major new schools (Sustainable Schools Education Review)
• Avoiding out of area placements for looked after children
• Portree Gaelic Medium Primary School
• Portree High School hostel
• Inverness Royal Academy
• Lochaber High School Phase 4
• Wick schools (new High School and two new primary schools)
• Thurso Library
• Dornoch Sports Facility (based at the school campus and used by the community out of hours)

Transport projects include: -

• Minor flood works
• A 890 Stromeferry bypass (preparatory works, recognising the Council cannot, on its own, fund this major project)
• Inverness West Link – West section
• West Link sports and recreational enhancements
• Minor roads, major road improvements, roads structural capital works
• River Ness flood prevention and streetscape works
• Granish Landfill site restoration (Aviemore)
• Play areas
• Cycling, walking and safer streets
• Lifeline bridges
• Coast protection
• Burial grounds
• Park and ride and bus priority measures
• Bus shelters

General

• Town and countryside regeneration
• Video conferencing, web casting and voting systems
• Digital outreach
• Carbon Neutral Inverness in a Low Carbon Highlands
• Information and Communication Technology re-provision

Four projects are highlighted for which the Council will seek to identify an affordable funding package before proceeding. These are: -
Improvements to Academy Street, Inverness; Inverness Museum and Gallery; Broadford Airfield and Caol Link Road, Fort William.