Moray development plans are 'leaving Buckie behind'
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BUCKIE is being "left behind" by plans to drive forward the development of Moray, two local councillors have claimed.
Last Tuesday saw councillors on the local authority's planning and regulatory services committee examine the Indicative Regional Spatial Strategy (IRSS) for Moray, which sets out a vision for the region encompassing a long term vision to 2050, identifying the outcomes, need, priorities and proposed locations of strategic development.
This includes the creation of a regional cultural quarter in Elgin, a strategic business hub to be located in central Elgin and charging points for electric vehicles at points along the A96.
While the document identifies Buckie Harbour as a strategic port, Buckie councillors Sonya Warren and Gordon Cowie have protested that the town and surrounding area have been sidelined on the development map.
Key among their concerns are the apparent lack of development for transport links to the Buckie area plus little attempt to develop the local economy.
In a joint statement, they said: "We both voiced our concerns about the strategy at the meeting when we saw the development map – it's more or less a blank in development terms east of Fochabers.
"Buckie is designated a strategic port, which is great news, but there're no strategic links. We need good connectivity if we're going to develop the excellent resource that is Buckie Harbour, both for cargo and also as a potential base for the next wave of offshore windfarms. In the latter case, Buckie needs good connectivity to the train station at Keith if it's going to serve as a base for crew changes for the windfarm boats.
"Connectivity isn't just about the harbour, important though that it is. Tourism, for example, is a vital part of the local economy and we need to make sure we're in the best position possible to attract visitors here.
"We need to look at the wider economy of the Buckie area, which has great potential, so why is there nothing in the strategy for a business hub? There's one planned for Elgin, which is fair enough, but not Buckie."
The two councillors went on to stress that the opportunities which could be presented by IRSS had to be grasped or lost "for a generation".
"It's imperative we drive all of this forward right now, we literally can't afford for it to be kicked into the long grass again. This is a once in a generation chance, we take it now or lose it until after 2050.
"There's a lot of good work being done locally to address many of the issues facing Buckie but to achieve this effectively and sustainably we need an overarching strategy like the IRSS.
"It's great to see aspirations for Moray as a whole but Buckie has to share in that. It would've obviously been wonderful to see Buckie share in the Moray Growth Deal funding, but we should be identifying the shovel ready projects which were unsuccessful so they can be put forward for alternative funding when the opportunity presents itself.
"What we want to see is the same amount of ambition being shown for Buckie as has been shown for the rest of Moray."
A Moray Council spokesperson said: “Committee members had the opportunity to raise issues or concerns when the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) was considered at the Planning and Regulatory Services Committee on March 23.
"Councillor Warren raised the issue of transport links and the Principle Planning Officer agreed the points would be taken on board and discussed further with the Transport Development unit. The committee then approved the recommendations unamended.
“The RSS recognises the importance of Buckie Harbour and the opportunities that offshore renewables can bring, it highlights the need for strategic trunk road improvements on the A96 and A95 which benefit the whole region.
“The business hub referenced in the strategy is a Moray Growth Deal project lead by the University of Highlands and Islands that will bring benefits not just to the whole of Moray but across the Highland and Islands.”
