Scottish Cities Alliance

The Leader of The Highland Council Cllr Raymond Bremner has highlighted important investment opportunities of the area during the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) which was held in Leeds from 16 – 18 May.

The event brought together over 7,500 national and international investors, developers and contractors.

The Highland Council took part in the forum under the banner of the Scottish Cities Alliance, a unique collaboration of Scotland’s eight cities – Aberdeen, Dundee, Dunfermline, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Perth and Stirling – and the Scottish Government working together to promote the country’s great economic potential.

Cllr Bremner took the opportunity to showcase the investment potential of Inverness and the greater Highland area especially with a particular focus on renewable energy.

Speaking after the UKREiiF event he said:

“In my opening address to Council at the beginning of the new administration’s term a year ago, I stated that we needed the Council to become more commercially focused and to be a more effective partner leading economic regeneration in the Highlands.

“Since then, we have worked collaboratively with many local Highland-based organisations to secure the Inverness and Cromarty Green Freeport bid. We have also lobbied governments both in Scotland and in London in respect of key opportunities for investment and have made keynote addresses at the Green Energy Conference here in the Highlands and at a number of key strategic council meetings.”

He added:

“It was hugely important to me that we took our representation to a much bigger stage. As the third largest local authority in Scotland and the largest, by far, by geographic area we cannot expect markets to come to us without putting the work in to attract them.

“The UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum provided us a national platform that focuses on connecting people, places and businesses to accelerate and unlock sustainable, inclusive and transformational investment.”

He continued:

“I was delighted that the Highlands were represented, recognised, and acknowledged by many delegates that included government representatives, potential investors, financial institutions, their agents and representatives of many sectors of industry.

“It was extremely useful to take part as it was a hugely important opportunity for the Highlands to promote the massive scale of opportunity that is immediately available and will be available in the near future in Highland for investment in hydro, green hydrogen, solar, offshore and onshore wind as well as other commercial and residential development opportunities. I also had the opportunity to promote the great work taking place in terms of life sciences and technology.”

Councillor Bremner was a key speaker at the Scottish Cities Alliance Showcase on Thursday morning, 18 May, hosted by UK Depute Director for Scotland Department of Business and Trade, Iseabail MacTaggart.

The event focused on the cities of Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness.

Councillor Bremner was keen that delegates and representatives were made aware of the importance of the whole Highland area and how, in respect of energy security, saying:

“the area can make a vital contribution domestically with the additional capacity to be a global powerhouse in the export market.”