17 Jan 2024
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Stuart Patrick believes early-year successes could be the catalyst for a memorable year…
Two weeks into the new year and, while I wouldn’t be expecting major steps towards some of our 2024 aspirations, we do like to keep a close eye on early January announcements.
It’s not so much the high-level politics that have been catching our attention – although there has already been a surfeit of that – but the developments on more specific projects in the city. I have picked out a handful that tell us something about the issues the Chamber has on its list of priorities.
Where there’s a Willow there’s a way
You will not be surprised we are keeping a close eye on Sauchiehall Street. It’s the most challenged of the original three Golden Z streets and the Chamber is determined to make a constructive contribution in the collective search for its fresh future.
We were delighted then to hear the news that the Willow Tea Rooms Trust has come to an agreement with the National Trust for Scotland to secure sustainable new ownership for the Mackintosh at the Willow.
The £10m restoration and re-opening of Mrs Cranston’s original 1903 Mackintosh tea rooms in 2018 has been an exceptional achievement for the Willow Tea Rooms Trust and, especially, for the Trust founder Celia Sinclair Thornqvist MBE. The agreement with the National Trust secures the tea rooms, the shop, the exhibition space and the meeting rooms that were Celia’s brainchild and preserves for Sauchiehall Street one of the city centre’s historic jewels.
That’s the good news but, of course, one has to recognise just how difficult it has been for the tea rooms in the five years since they welcomed in the public. Sauchiehall Street should not be a difficult location but in my meetings with representatives of the Trust it has been obvious that with major fires, retail decline and a pandemic it has been a struggle to operate. That has to change.
Investment flows on the Clyde
Another positive development was the announcement by BAE Systems that construction has begun on their £12m new shipbuilding academy at their Scotstoun yard. We have been celebrating the scale of the commitment BAE Systems are making to the Clyde as they deliver on their contract for Type 26 frigates for the Royal Navy. The skills academy adds to the investment already well underway at Govan to build the massive new shipbuilding hall. The academy will provide modern training facilities for the 4,500 workforce and is yet more evidence of a healthy long-term future for shipbuilding as a highly sophisticated engineering discipline on the Clyde.
Innovation ideas
Equally good news for Glasgow’s science and technology rich industries was the launch of an open call for bids into the Glasgow City Region Investment Zone. The process is underway to find the projects in industries covering health and life sciences, advanced manufacturing and enabling and digital technologies which can share in the funding available under the 10-year £160m Investment Zone that is being set up by the UK and Scottish Governments with the Glasgow City Region. The City Region’s website is hosting an online portal for receiving bids right up until the end of March this year. This is a very substantial initiative and one that is looking for heavy private sector engagement.
Glasgow as the Gateway
Adding to the optimism for the region was a statement by Emirates on its experience at Glasgow Airport since re-launching its daily A380 flights to Dubai. The airline, whose connections to Asia are especially important to the Chamber’s aspirations for trade growth, has reported a 51% surge in inbound travel bookings for 2024 compared to last year. With outbound bookings also growing at 66%, Emirates specifically highlighted Glasgow as doing particularly well. It has long been a Chamber priority to support Glasgow Airport in expanding connections to key export markets and Emirates’ comments are very good news indeed.
And as a final upbeat note, the trade publication Pollstar reported DF Concerts 33rd in the world rankings of concert promoters and remarkably King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut came in 5th top in the UK on gross revenues, beating venues 10 times its size.
Those are all genuine reasons to be optimistic about our city and we are only entering the third week of the new year.
