MAREE TODD: Green freeport offers hope to tackle depopulation in north Highlands
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Holyrood Notebook by Maree Todd
What a fantastic way to kick off 2023 with the welcome announcement that Opportunity Cromarty Firth (OCF) has been awarded green freeport status.
This is a transformative opportunity that will promote both regeneration and decarbonisation, boost trade and investment and create tens of thousands of high-quality jobs.
OCF are thoroughly deserving of this win – their cross-industry collaboration and commitment to Highland-wide benefits is to be admired and will no doubt have contributed to their success.
In providing background, a green freeport is a large zoned area where operators and businesses in the zone can benefit from a package of tax and other incentives through a combination of devolved and reserved levers. This joint approach between the UK and Scottish governments recognises the distinct needs of Scotland’s economy and thanks to the strength of the Scottish Government’s negotiating, our model is firmly committed to fair work practices and achieving net zero.
OCF is dedicated to decarbonisation and accelerating the shift to clean energy. Their plans, which include developments in floating offshore wind and green hydrogen, will position the Highlands and Scotland as a frontrunner in these fields.
In Scotland we have an ambitious commitment to reach net zero by 2045, and with projects like this that enable innovation, we can make significant progress.
The benefits this investment will bring locally are just as significant. As a representative of a constituency with a declining and ageing population, I am all too aware of the impact this is having on the rural communities I represent.
If we are to attract people to stay, return or move to the Highlands, there must be opportunities available to them. The green freeport in the Cromarty Firth will create tens of thousands of well-paid, sustainable jobs, providing a much-needed boost to local employment.
The ripple effect of this is that it enables folk to live and work here who may also have family members that work in other sectors, such as healthcare. With rural healthcare facing recruitment challenges right now, we must think of long-term sustainability and large-scale investments, such as this, that could help to support the workforce.
We have developments in the Sutherland spaceport to also look forward to in 2023. I was closely following the UK’s first attempt to launch a rocket into orbit earlier this month.
While the launch may have not gone quite to plan, it’s fascinating to hear of the advances in space technology and of Scotland’s contribution to this. We are on our way to becoming a leading space nation with the ambition to achieve a £4 billion share of the global space market and secure 20,000 jobs in the sector by 2030.
Just this month, business minister Ivan McKee confirmed the formation of the Scotland International Space Advisory Committee – a network of Scots in business around the world – who have come together, as volunteers, to identify opportunities in the space sector.
It is expected that the first Scottish licence for a spaceport will be issued this year, with Orbex – the company behind the Sutherland hub – working towards their first vertical launch.
This too will bring significant economic development locally and, like the green freeport at Cromarty Firth, I’m confident that this will turn the tide against depopulation and help to build thriving communities in Sutherland and Caithness.
- Maree Todd is the SNP MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross.
