The River Clyde has created economic growth and supported communities for centuries. From New Lanark to shipbuilding, it has been a hub of industry and a creator of wealth.
Since the days of these heavy industries, huge parts of the riverbanks in Glasgow have been regenerated beyond recognition. The television studios, the Scottish Event Campus and the new Police Scotland HQ show how old land previously dedicated to industry can be repurposed to create jobs and recreation.
In Clyde Gateway, contaminated land where factories once stood have been transformed into modern business parks attracting international organisations. Where there were landfill sites now sit community parks. Neighbourhoods that once attracted scorn are now becoming attractive places to live.
With a constituency on the Clyde, our new First Minister knows how important it is that we continue to transform these areas and deliver an economy that works for the people of Glasgow.
Humza Yousaf put the wellbeing economy at the heart of his pitch for the top job. He even entrusted his close ally and campaign manager, Neil Gray, to do this work in government. It is clearly important to him in his vision for Scotland.
Although this is not a new thing. There are already great examples of the wellbeing economy at work. Within Scotland’s first Green Regeneration Innovation District in the east end of Glasgow, there is the Magenta Business Park which we are developing alongside Clyde Gateway. Here, a new way of working is prioritising people and the planet; more and more organisations are turning to this new approach.
Future developments at Magenta are becoming more sustainable with the installation of a fifth-generation district heating and cooling system by Clyde Gateway. This state of the art technology allows the separate heating and cooling of each building using separate heat pumps. The ground-breaking project is one of Scotland’s most innovative and sustainable district heating systems. It will utilise otherwise discarded waste water as an energy source and the heat pump technology will be powered by photovoltaic panels to provide electricity.
But Magenta is more than a cutting-edge sustainability statement. It provides businesses with an opportunity to have a new holistic approach to work that prioritises wellbeing. With a train station just minutes away by foot, a green corridor to the centre of the city, and acres of green space and nature in the vicinity, this project is establishing an exemplar for the live, work and play format for Scotland.
People want to be proud of where they work. They want to work with an organisation that plays its part in benefitting society as well paying the bills. Social responsibility credentials are now part of job listings and not just customer adverts.
Nowadays, it is clear that employees have more power within organisations to prioritise their wellbeing and look after the environment. They are demanding it of their governments too.
Establishing a thriving wellbeing business environment could really deliver the First Minister’s vision for Scotland and our planet.
Guy Marsden is director of Highbridge Properties, who are developing the Magenta Business Park
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