1.42 Aberdeen is recognised as a city of international significance, as Europe’s oil capital, and as a key gateway to the area. It has an important international airport and heliport, a major rail terminal and a vibrant working harbour. The city drives the regional economy and will continue to accommodate significant levels of new development, particularly for business and industry, retailing, housing, healthcare, leisure, cultural and community services. Some settlements on the edge of Aberdeen will have a special role in helping to accommodate this.

1.43 Aberdeen’s city centre makes a particularly significant contribution to the social, cultural, economic and environmental well-being of the North East. This plan supports a view that there is scope for this role to be enhanced to strengthen the city’s role as a regional centre. Opportunities for major retail, commercial leisure and entertainment uses still remain to be exploited and these should be given preference over sites outwith the city centre.

1.44 All the main Aberdeenshire settlements are located at important positions on the transport network. Those in prime positions on the network have been identified as key centres. Their main role is as centres of the rural industries and in providing sites and premises for new business to grow, but they will also be promoted to provide a focus for many of the same activities as in Aberdeen. They provide the driving force of the economy outwith Aberdeen.

1.45 A number of other major centres have been identified along the lines of the transport network, whose role is to act in a similar way though for a more localised area. They have a special role in providing opportunities for small-scale and start-up businesses. Their town centres also have an important role in providing access to facilities.

1.46 The economic health of the countryside remains one of the keys to a sustainable economy for the whole area in the future. Its major role is to foster both those industries which are based on local resources and also new opportunities which arise.

1.47 However, the corollary to the need to focus development on the main settlements is that housing should not generally be dispersed across the remaining countryside. This is to ensure not only that housing is located close to where most jobs and services are (to limit the need for travel, to help maintain the viability of the remaining rural services, and to minimise unnecessary costs in providing public services), but also to maintain as much as possible of the natural resources of the countryside.

1.48 The intention is to give a general welcome to economic initiatives in the countryside, in particular providing opportunities for small-scale and start-up businesses, but to steer new small-scale housing development to those villages that retain viable services, or to where housing is associated specifically with places of work. In this way we have the best chance of securing balanced and inclusive communities.

1.49 The uplands and coast include areas, such as the Cairngorms, Bennachie and the Sands of Forvie, to which the people of the North East have great emotional attachment. Important for nature conservation, landscape, recreation and tourism, and in some cases of international importance, these areas are key features in establishing and preserving the unique identity of the whole North East, and require special protection. However, such a diverse environment requires varied planning approaches for different circumstances.

1.50 For instance, countryside areas have policies applied which respect local circumstances and support communities within them. In special areas such as the Cairngorms, a different approach is being promoted by the Scottish Executive. The Cairngorms, which lie within four different structure plan areas, have been proposed as a World Heritage Site, and National Park status may also be granted to the area in 2003.

1.51 A key element of the structure plan’s approach to the integration of land use and transportation is the emphasis on public transport, accessibility and the concentration of development along public and freight transport "corridors". In doing this, the plan complements the local transport strategies.

1.52 The plan also requires a wide range of transportation measures, including the development of strategic park-and-ride schemes, traffic and parking management, and increased freight-to-rail connections. Another measure, central to the delivery of many of these essential elements of the overall strategy, is the implementation of a western peripheral route around Aberdeen.

1.53 Together this road and the related measures will enhance the performance of the North East economy by improving accessibility into and around the city, and to the remainder of the North East. As such, they will be of benefit to existing businesses and to new employment land locations, and should lead to environmental benefits for communities throughout the North East and Aberdeen in particular. There will be less congestion, noise and pollution, easier movement of public transport, cyclists and walkers, and they should help in meeting targets for air quality.