News outwith Moray: Cromarty Firth chosen as Green Freeport
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Cromarty Firth along with Firth of Forth have been jointly selected by the Scottish and UK governments to become the Scotland’s first two Green Freeports.
The two winning bids will be supported by up to £52 million in start-up funding and will benefit from tax reliefs and other incentives.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said both ports would "support businesses to create high-quality, well-paid new jobs, promote growth and regeneration, and make a significant contribution to achieving our net zero ambitions.
He added: "The successful applicants showed a strong determination to embed fair work practices, including payment of the Real Living Wage, and to enshrine net zero initiatives in their work.
"We look forward to working closely with them to ensure they deliver maximum positive impact and become operational as soon as possible.
"Scotland has a rich history of innovation, trade and manufacturing.
"As we look to seize the many opportunities achieving net zero offers, the creation of these internationally competitive clusters of excellence will help us to create new green jobs, deliver a just transition and support our economic transformation."
Michael Gove, the UK's government's Levelling Up Secretary, said: "Scotland has areas of outstanding opportunity but there are also places that can benefit from more investment to truly level up communities that have been overlooked.
"This is a shared challenge faced by us all across the UK, which is why I’m delighted the UK and Scottish governments have collaborated to deliver two Green Freeports in Scotland, which will undoubtedly be transformative for future generations."
Five ports were on the shortlist.
The first of the three unsuccessful bids was Clyde, which took in Glasgow airport and the Mossend Railhead in North Lanarkshire.
The second was a joint bid by Aberdeen and Peterhead, while the third was Orkney.
Douglas Ross, who as well as Moray's MP is a list MSP for the Highlands and Islands, said: "Having visited the site last summer I could see how compelling the case from Opportunity Cromarty Firth was.
"It really did tick all the boxes for me and I could see how passionate those behind the bid were about securing this status.
"I truly believe that having this freeport status will bring about new and significant opportunities and investment for the Highlands and Moray.
"We need to attract people to come and make the Highlands their home and this is a great incentive for people to do just that.
"This is the sort of positive investment that can occur when both of Scotland’s governments work together to deliver for local people and communities.
"Today’s announcement is the start of a really exciting new chapter for the Cromarty Firth and I look forward to seeing the boost it brings to the local economy."
The Cromarty Forth project includes Cromarty includes Inverness
Meanwhile, its Firth of Forth counterpart straddles three councils, taking in Grangemouth in Falkirk, Leith in Edinburgh, and Rosyth in Fife.
