Elgin BID making good progress in five year plan
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GENERATING pride and passion in the city centre of Elgin, not just among businesses but all citizens - that is the key aim of Elgin Business Improvement District (BID).
And chairman David Urquhart believes the fledgling organisation has gone a long way to achieving that in its first full year in existence.
Despite difficult trading conditions generally and the RAF uncertainty, Mr Urquhart believes BID has started to make a real difference to people’s perception of Elgin as a retail and business centre.
Not only that, it has overseen a number of cosmetic improvements to make the city centre more attractive to visitors, and created a number of festivals and events to pull people in.
With 440 businesses within the BID area, contributing towards an annual levy in excess of £125,000, Mr Urquhart insists the organisation has become a powerful and cohesive voice for the local business community.
"We now have a lot of businesses talking to each other. No disrespect to the other organisations and mechanisms that existed before, now that this process is being led, people feel as though everybody can contribute to their own destiny," said Mr Urquhart.
Mr Urquhart, joint managing director of Gordon and MacPhail, admits there is still a long way to go for BID to fully achieve its five year business plan, which was implemented on February 1, 2010.
More information on Elgin BID is available at www.elginbid.co.uk
Read the full interview with David Urquhart in 'The Northern Scot' on Friday.
