Archive News
CEO Celebrates 3 Years At The Helm
Since the appointment of Bill Nicol from Scottish Enterprise to the post of CEO of Riverside Inverclyde (ri) in 2006 the much talked of regeneration of Inverclyde has started to become a reality and the last three years has seen the development and implementation of projects which are changing the face of Inverclyde's waterfronts.
Developing a robust business plan; putting a small team together and establishing appropriate governance procedures has secured funding from Inverclyde Council, Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government to progress what is an ambitious plan estimated to require £400M of public and private sector investment.
Riverside Inverclyde has been designed to secure the long term economic growth of Inverclyde by “going for growth” through the exploitation of existing and new opportunities and “spreading the benefits of growth” to the local resident and business communities. ri's first Business Plan focuses on 7 geographical areas and in the last 18 months work has commenced on all 7 sites with projects already completed and new works underway with 46M being approved by the Board of ri.
Key projects completed include the creation of 27,000 ft2 of high quality office accommodation at Riverside Business Park aimed at Energy and Renewable companies; the refurbishment of 15,000 ft2 Victorian school building to create a mix of office space for social economy organisations and studio space for artists, also at Riverside Business Park; and the creation of a Limited Liability Partnership with Peel Holdings Ltd to redevelop a 107 acre site at the James Watt Dock to deliver a comprehensive development of 180M which includes new leisure, retail, marina and residential features to the Inverclyde waterfront.
Through the creation of new business space and the refurbishment of existing premises ri has put together a commercial and industrial property portfolio in Inverclyde which can support the needs of existing and new companies to develop and expand. Investment in these properties will continue apace.
Meanwhile in the town centres of Greenock, Gourock and Port Glasgow a series of environmental improvements and public realm works, funded by the Scottish Government from the Town Centre Regeneration Fund, are underway, designed to positively change the image of these centres and attract footloose economic and residential investment.
Looking to the future and ensuring that the momentum continues to grow, Bill and his team are refreshing the ri Business Plan and working to ensure that investment is unlocked to support its activities despite the pressures on public sector budgets. An eighth geography, Gourock Waterfront, will be included in the new Business Plan and ri will work closely with Inverclyde Council to design and implement a scheme to redevelop its pierhead area. A new nursery will be built adjacent to ri's office development at Riverside Business Park; a new £10M theatre will begin on site at East India and Victoria Harbours in April 2010; and a new access road and site enabling works at James Watt Dock will commence early in the New Year.
In 2010 ri will also work with partners and stakeholders to develop new projects which take cognisance of the national agenda around growth sectors and will progress activities for both the renewable energy and tourism and leisure sectors. Bill acknowledges the challenges that lie ahead but is keen to emphasise that these are something him and his team relish and something which progress to date demonstrates they tackle head on.
He adds “activity is moving apace at the waterfront due to close collaborative working with Inverclyde Council, Scottish Enterprise, Clydeport and the Scottish Government. I have the benefit of a professional team of colleagues who have a passion for making a difference. Under the chairmanship of Alf Young and a very progressive Board I am looking forward to developing and executing even more ambitious projects over the coming years. This area has a very bright future.”
