Renfrewshire projects support major progress for Glasgow City Region’s City Deal and Economic Strategy

Ten years on from the launch of the Glasgow City Region’s £1.13 billion City Deal, a new performance report has set out significant progress across City Deal delivery and key initiatives under the Regional Economic Strategy.

Funded by the UK and Scottish Governments, the Deal, one of the largest and most advanced in the UK, has delivered over £550 million in local infrastructure investment to date across the eight local council areas and is estimated to have attracted more than £880 million worth of follow-on investment since 2014.

One of its flagship developments has been the Clyde Waterfront and Renfrew Riverside project, including the Renfrew Bridge, which was funded in conjunction with Renfrewshire Council and connects Renfrewshire to Clydebank and Yoker to open up work, health, education and leisure opportunities on both sides of the river – in particular to the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS).

In addition, the Renfrewshire Council-led Glasgow Airport Investment Area (GAIA) built new roads, bridges, and active travel routes to support the development of AMIDS, with the project enhancing economic growth, creating jobs, and providing better access to communities, businesses, and educational sites in the region.

Renfrewshire Council Leader Iain Nicolson said: “The City Deal has been transformational for Renfrewshire as we enhance connectivity to and from the area to the wider city region, creating new employment opportunities and boosting the local economy in the process.

“The development of AMIDS is one of the most important in Renfrewshire’s recent history and GAIA has provided the access required for world-leading organisations to locate here and bring with them high-quality jobs and innovation.

“We are already seeing the benefits of the new Renfrew Bridge as it creates connections with communities and businesses across the region and look forward to seeing the impact it has for generations to come.”

Along the river, the City Deal-funded Govan-Partick Bridge has recorded over one million crossings in its first year of operation, while more than £159 million worth of City Deal contracts have been awarded to local businesses.

Thousands of community benefits have also been secured, including 367 jobs and apprenticeships, and more than £177,000 worth of support for community projects.

The report was considered at a meeting of the Region’s Cabinet of eight council leaders hosted at Glasgow Airport and  comes after the City Deal programme passed its second formal UK and Scottish Government Gateway Review, unlocking a further £300 million in funding.

Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of the Glasgow City Region Cabinet, said: “These past 12 months have again demonstrated that the Glasgow City Region continues to deliver for our people and communities. And also, how absolutely vital our largest city region is to Scotland’s and the UK’s ambitions for growth, prosperity and equity.

“Major infrastructure projects are transforming our places by delivering new homes and improving connectivity at the same time as creating and sustaining thousands of jobs. That’s a track record all our partners can be proud of.

“Unlocking a further £300 million in funding gives us much to build on and, working with both the UK and Scottish Governments to secure the necessary powers and resources, we know we can take the City Region to the next level. That’s something we’ll all benefit from.”

The Region is also making strong headway on the 12 programmes set out in the Regional Economic Strategy, with advances in skills, inclusive growth, housing retrofit and electric vehicle charging rollout.

Significant strides have been made in strengthening Glasgow City Region’s innovation economy, including the recent announcement of at least a further £30 million funding from the UK Government through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund (LIPF) to unlock local innovation and grow the economy.

The £160 million Investment Zone continues to gather pace, with confirmation of its focus on the Advanced Manufacturing sector – targeting the space, maritime and semiconductor sub-sectors across six short-listed projects.

For more information, visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/cwrr