This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Euro funding for East of Scotland
10/02/2003
A variety of projects across the East of Scotland are
set to benefit from £12.9 million of European funds
announced today.
This latest round of European Structural funding, worth
over £36 million overall, includes support for local
projects promoting economic development and boosting the
tourism potential of local areas, using the skills and
talents of people within East of Scotland communites.
Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Services Peter
Peacock said:
"I am delighted to be able to announce a further
injection of European Funding today which will benefit a
wide and diverse range of projects across the East of
Scotland.
"These new project approvals will provide considerable
additional benefit to a wide and diverse range of projects
throughout the East of Scotland Programme area. They will
provide significant benefits not just to the wider area as
a whole but also to a number of the local Community
Econonmic Development areas around the East of
Scotland.
"The projects include a number of exciting strategic
economic developments to support Small and Medium size
Enterprises (SME's) including the University of Abertay's
proposal to identify and support the development of actual
business opportunities from the student base within
Universities in Scotland.
"The contined economic development progress of
Edinburgh's South East Wedge is also confirmed through this
funding with an approval of support to Scottish Enterprise
Edinburgh & Lothians. This follows on from Andy Kerr,
Minister of Finance and Public Services' announcement
recently of the largest East of Scotland European Regional
Development fund grant of nearly £6 million to the
Edinburgh Biomedical Research Institute
"I am also happy to announce the approval of funding for
Phase II of the old Royal Ballater Railway Station
development. This will build on the success of the Phase I
restoration through the acquisition and restoration of an
original Royal Railway Carriage built in 1897 as part of
Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Train used by the Royal
Family on visits to Deeside until 1935.
"We are providing continued support for the development
of niche markets identified in 'A New Strategy For Scottish
Tourism' with the approval of the Development of Golf
Tourism in the East of Scotland project for the Angus and
City of Dundee Tourist Board. The project spans a large
part of the East of Scotland are includingTayside, Fife,
Aberdeenshire and East Lothian. The targets include the
attraction of 64,000 additional visitors providing £19
million of new expenditure and the creation 89 gross new
jobs.
"In addition to this, and as part of our continued
support to Community Economic Development areas in the East
of Scotland, EC funding will be going to the Fife and
Dundee City Councils to support the long term regeneration
of these communities who require support to develop
community capacity."
The East of Scotland Objective 2 Programme 2000-2006 was
approved in principle by the European Commission in
November 2000 and is worth €250 million over the period.
The figure includes transitional funding of over €80 for
those areas in the East of Scotland that lost full status
from the present Objective 2 and Objective 5b
Programmes.
This sixth round of awards to the Programme takes the
total amount of European Regional Development Fund
committed to date is almost £75 million.
For further details on the projects, please contact
Nigel Thomas at the East of Scotland European Partnership,
on 01383