The Edinburgh Reporter April 2024

14 BUSINESS

Airport grounded

by connectivity

Flight gateway to Scotland hampered by lack

of transport networks and infrastructure

By STAFF REPORTER

A REPORT COMMISSIONED by the owners

of Edinburgh Airport concludes that aviation is

critical for the Scottish economy and to reduce

flights would be damaging to most industries.

The report’s author, Professor Duncan

Maclennan, Emeritus Professor of Urban

Economics at the University of Glasgow, also

found that the capital’s airport is lagging

behind when it comes to a wider connectivity

and infrastructure strategy.

Professor Maclennan found that a barrier for

Edinburgh Airport is the lack of ways of getting

to and from the airport by sustainable means.

He said: “There are great decarbonised

transport options to and from Edinburgh

Airport and the city itself. However, unlike

other cities that have better connectivity

strategies, Edinburgh hasn’t developed good

transport links to the surrounding

metropolitan areas. Through my interviews and

research, I’ve found this to be because our

decision-making here in Scotland is too

localised and not joined-up enough.”

As an example although Edinburgh to

London by train is around four hours or so, the

paper states the journey from the Highlands to

Wales is not well connected by rail or other

sustainable transport options.

Maclennan writes in his report: “The

Edinburgh focussed City Deal improved road

access around the airport. The main rail lines

connecting west and north-south from

Edinburgh speed, unhalting, past the western

and eastern ends of the Airport runway....

“The Scottish Government, Edinburgh, and

surrounding municipalities, need to refocus,

urgently, on how new geographies of mobility,

infrastructure and economic activity could

flatten the trade-offs in simultaneously

achieving net zero, economic and wellbeing

objectives. This would involve considering how

the airport could be better connected to the

metropolitan suburbs and regional rail

network..through decarbonised mobility

systems. In some scenarios for technological

change in aviation, expanding the airport may

be the solution and not the problem. The

Scottish Government should be exploring the

options for maintaining the connections of

Scotland’s thriving, new patterns of spatial

development, to the wider world.”

He also said: “Enhanced high speed rail

capacity is now unlikely to be supplied to

Edinburgh by 2050, as made evident by the UK

government’s late 2023 decimation of the HS

proposal. That will become a barrier to

investment and jobs in important sectors of the

Edinburgh economy.”

By PHYLLIS STEPHEN

PUBLIC RELATIONS COMPANY

SPEY which has an office in Leith is

helping clients who are already B

Corp registered by acquiring the

certification themselves.

Spey say they have also launched

the industry’s first carbon tracking

tool which will measure the

environmental impact of the

company’s business activity. It is

hoped this will help clients to

calculate their own footprint and

reduce the impact on the planet.

Spey have launched the tool just

as they themselves reached the

end of a two year journey to

become certified as a B Corp. This is

the gold standard for companies

becoming both environmentally

and socially responsible. Spey now

include hours for employees to

volunteer for example as well as

counting emissions attached to

travel or production.

Founder Jennifer Robertson said:

“Companies spend a lot of time and

resources making their products

and services as environmentally

friendly as possible, but the carbon

impact of the PR activities used to

promote their brand and products

is often overlooked. That’s where

we come in.

“There is a lot that goes on

behind the scenes of a PR agency

beyond media relations. We will

now calculate the carbon footprint

of these activities and recommend

ways in which our clients can make

simple changes like slow travel and

recyclable packaging to using local

content creators, all of which

reduces carbon footprint.”

spey.scot

To B or not to B is the...?

Edinburgh Airport

By BUSINESS REPORTER

FASHION DESIGNER AND

BUSINESSMAN JEFF BANKS

popped in to Morningside to

open a new Specsavers

opticians and audiologist shop.

He cut the ribbon alongside

retail director Joe Alubaid,

clinical director Michael

O’Kane and audiology partner

Jonathan Bell.

Specsavers which have been

in the area for 15 years have

invested £750,000 in the new

store at number 85.

Mr O’Kane said the new

store responds to local

demand, particularly for early

diagnosis of treatable eye

disease. He said: “There is an

ageing, yet independent and

healthy population, in the

south of Edinburgh, however

age-related conditions such as

glaucoma, macular

degeneration, and hearing loss

are all more common.

“Myopia (short sightedness)

is also becoming more

prevalent in children within

the UK. That is why we have

designed our new store

specifically to address these

emerging needs of our local

community.”

Visionary Banks pays a visit

Spey hosted an

event to discuss

their new status