HELLO and welcome to the AM Business Briefing, as the army takes to the roads to drive oil tankers in southern England, while the crisis is "virtually at an end" in Scotland, and the head of the NFU has described food shortages as a "welfare disaster" as the union calls for a Covid recovery policy to allow firms to recruit from outside the UK.
In the City, Cake Box has revealed that its sales have almost doubled for the past six months amid a strong recovery in customer demand.
The high street cream cake retailer said it was buoyed by its continued expansion, opening 20 new franchise sites over the six months to September, to bring it to a total of 174 stores.
Also today, the preferred bidder for the redevelopment of the former Royal High School in Edinburgh is revealed, and an engineering firm has hailed its move to employee ownership six years after being founded.
Former Royal High School preferred bidder named
The preferred bidder for the former Royal High School redevelopment in Edinburgh has been named in council papers.
The creation of a National School of Music and home for St Mary’s Music School has been chosen over a plan for a care village for the Calton Hill site in the recomendation.
It comes after a plan for a luxury hotel at the site was rejected at appeal.
The papers to go before Edinburgh City Council finance and resources committee on Thursday, October 7 recommend approval for the Royal High School Preservation Trust music school bid, although ton public access the papers said the current proposal "arguably does not provide the level of access envisaged by the council".
RHSPT estimates the cost of the proposals to be £45m with an additional endowment of £10m. Proof of funding has been provided. The proposals would deliver a capital receipt of £1.5m to the council in return for a 125-year lease of the property at £1 per annum.
The council papers state: "Of the two bids received, the information provided by RHSPT provides a greater level of certainty, at this stage, around the potential deliverability of the proposal.
"The scheme is based on amendments to an existing planning consent; funding for the development has been demonstrated; and the proposed use is acceptable, protecting its prominent position and allowing future public access. The establishment of a National School of Music would be of strategic significance to the city.
"The care village concept, whilst likely acceptable as a future use of the property, does not provide sufficient information to offset the potential risks and therefore, by comparison, offers a higher risk profile of the two bids received.
"Whilst the financial offering could, in principle, offer a greater return to the council over the longer term, it is considered that the risks attached are too significant.
"In conclusion, it is recommended that the proposal from RHSPT is selected as the preferred option for the site."
Scottish engineering business realises ambition of employee ownership
Two owners of a Scottish civil and structural engineering consultancy have realised their ambition of adopting employee ownership, just six years after founding the company.
Petrol crisis 'virtually over' in Scotland as military deployed to help England's supplies
The petrol crisis is “virtually over” in Scotland, according to fuel bosses, while the army is being deployed to help deliver supplies in the south of England.
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