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Aberdeen Hub · Long-Term Development Programme

Aberdeen 2035

A town-first programme to help build a cleaner, safer, lawful, economically stronger and better managed Aberdeen — where local people can work, learn, build businesses, raise families, retire, invest and participate in the future of the town.

Aberdeen 2035 sits inside Aberdeen Hub. Aberdeen Hub is the information, communication and operating hub; Aberdeen 2035 is the long-term programme that turns priorities into projects and measurable outcomes.

The Purpose

Development must benefit the whole town.

Aberdeen 2035 is based on the principle that progress should not benefit only a small group, organisation, neighbourhood, political interest or investor. Sustainable development should create wider value for the people, economy and future of Aberdeen.

New residents, businesses, investors, professionals and ideas are welcome. The expectation is simple: respect Aberdeen, contribute constructively, respect lawful development processes and help leave the town stronger.

Government, public employees, community structures, businesses, project leaders and Aberdeen 2035 itself should all be accountable for the responsibilities they accept.

Town-First Charter

One town. Many voices. Shared future.

The charter guides how Aberdeen 2035 evaluates projects, partnerships and development priorities.

Benefit the whole town.
Projects should create broad and measurable local value.
Buy · Hire · Train Local.
Keep more economic activity and skills inside Aberdeen.
Welcome builders.
New people and capital are welcome when they contribute constructively.
Protect the future.
Heritage, infrastructure, young people and sustainability matter.
Respect the law.
Lawfulness, evidence and proper processes are non-negotiable.
Demand accountability.
Responsibilities, budgets, commitments and deadlines must be visible.
Keep everyone informed.
Important decisions must not remain inside small circles or committees.
Serve Aberdeen.
No organisation, party, business or individual should capture the town agenda.
Ten Connected Workstreams

The Aberdeen 2035 development framework

Each workstream supports the others. Tourism brings money in; business keeps it circulating; investment creates capacity; training creates skills; safety, services and maintenance create the conditions in which people want to stay and invest.

1. Local Economy & Investment

Grow local commerce and identify real investment opportunities.

  • Business directory and local procurement
  • Businesses Aberdeen needs
  • Investment opportunities
  • Agriculture and agri-processing
  • Property and adaptive reuse opportunities
  • Professional business support

2. Tourism & Hospitality

Bring outside spending into Aberdeen and increase visitor nights.

  • Accommodation and booking visibility
  • Restaurants and local products
  • Heritage routes and experiences
  • Events and destination marketing
  • Hospitality systems and digital support
  • Partnership with tourism role players

3. Live, Retire & Healthcare

Make Aberdeen attractive and practical for families, retirees and newcomers.

  • Retirement opportunities
  • Healthcare and pharmacies
  • Home care and assisted living
  • Property and relocation information
  • Churches and community
  • Remote work and connectivity

4. Education, Skills & Youth

Create pathways from school to skills, work, enterprise and return.

  • Schools and educational information
  • Trades and apprenticeship pathways
  • Digital and AI skills
  • Work experience and mentoring
  • Training linked to local skills gaps
  • Come Home opportunities for young people

5. Employment & Local Capability

Move willing residents toward sustainable earned income and local careers.

  • Local skills register
  • Jobs and vacancies
  • Street and block stewardship
  • Public employment opportunities
  • Local-first recruitment awareness
  • Entrepreneurship pathways

6. Safety, Lawfulness & Emergency Readiness

Create a safe town through lawful reporting, prevention and accountability.

  • Town camera network
  • Entrance and strategic-area monitoring
  • SAPS and CPF information
  • Know Your Rights education
  • 24/7 emergency contacts and escalation
  • Evidence-based incident reporting

7. Water, Sanitation & Infrastructure

Track critical services from problem to verified resolution.

  • Water supply and leaks
  • Sewage and sanitation
  • Roads and stormwater
  • Streetlights and electrical hazards
  • Refuse and illegal dumping
  • After-hours service readiness

8. Clean, Maintained & Managed Town

Keep Aberdeen presentable every day, not only during special campaigns.

  • Every Street Matters
  • Street and block stewards
  • Public spaces and entrances
  • Government and public buildings
  • Green · Amber · Red condition standards
  • Preventative maintenance culture

9. Heritage & Identity

Protect Aberdeen's historic character while creating responsible new uses.

  • 60+ year building register
  • Historic photographs and stories
  • Heritage compliance checks
  • Restoration and adaptive reuse
  • Architecture and streetscape protection
  • Heritage tourism

10. Communication, Governance & Accountability

Make information, decisions and responsibilities visible to the whole town.

  • Aberdeen alerts and weekly brief
  • WhatsApp and multi-channel communication
  • Town and municipal decisions
  • Public-service responsibilities
  • Budgets, deadlines and progress
  • Forums, associations and stakeholder participation
Flagship Programme

Every Street Matters

Aberdeen should be clean, safe and properly maintained every day. Each street or block can eventually have a local steward who helps clean, inspect, report and follow up.

One area · one responsible steward Local paid work linked to visible responsibility and daily standards.
Clean it · maintain it · report it Litter, dumping, broken lights, leaks, sewage, road defects and public-space problems should be noticed quickly.
Track problems to resolution Responsible body, reference number, due date, escalation and verified closure.
Measure the local benefit Employment created, local procurement, skills gained and areas meeting the town standard.
Communication

Everybody must know what is happening.

Important information should not remain inside committee meetings, council packs or private WhatsApp groups. Aberdeen Hub should become the trusted place where residents can find verified town information.

Aberdeen Alerts

WhatsApp, targeted messaging, email, SMS where needed, social media and website notices.

Weekly Aberdeen Brief

Short factual updates on services, decisions, jobs, projects, safety and opportunities.

Decisions Explained

What was decided, by whom, when, what happens next, responsible party and source document.

Ask Aberdeen

A future local town assistant built around structured, verified Aberdeen information.

From Vision to Action

Priority project pipeline

The list below is the initial project framework. Each project should eventually show a responsible lead, partners, next action, target date, funding status and measurable result.

Building

Aberdeen Hub

Create the town's central information, communication and development hub.

In Development

Business & Opportunity Register

Map local businesses, gaps, suppliers, jobs and investment opportunities.

In Development

Heritage Register

Identify historic structures, photographs, stories, condition and heritage considerations.

Planning

Every Street Matters

Street/block stewardship, cleanliness, defect reporting and local employment.

Planning

Town Camera & Safety Network

Strategic cameras, entrances, incident handling and lawful evidence management.

Planning

24/7 Emergency Information

Verified after-hours contacts, escalation routes and response information.

In Development

Youth Future & Come Home

Link education and skills to real local employment and return opportunities.

Growing

Tourism & Hospitality Growth

Increase visitor nights, local spend, destination content and booking visibility.

Planning

Retire & Live in Aberdeen

Package property, healthcare, lifestyle and retirement opportunities responsibly.

Accountability

Responsibility must be visible and measurable.

Aberdeen 2035 should track work and responsibilities rather than create a public accusation platform. Facts, official sources, reference numbers, deadlines and verified outcomes matter.

What We Track Example Why It Matters
Responsible authority / role Infrastructure Services · water function People know where responsibility sits.
Problem or commitment Burst water main / approved repair project Separates facts from rumours.
Date & reference Reported date + official reference number Creates an auditable history.
Next action & deadline Inspection due by Friday Prevents issues from disappearing.
Progress & escalation Open · overdue · escalated Makes follow-up systematic.
Verified result Repair completed and checked Close only when the problem is actually resolved.
Whole-Town Participation

Everybody who wants to build Aberdeen has a role.

Aberdeen 2035 should work with existing organisations rather than duplicate or replace them. Participation should be open, constructive and town-first.

Tourism & Business

ATA, accommodation, retailers, service providers, entrepreneurs and investors.

Agriculture

Farmers, Boerevereniging, agricultural businesses and local producers.

Residents & Community

ARPA, churches, schools, sports, welfare, youth, neighbourhoods and residents.

Safety

SAPS, CPF, security role players and emergency-service partners.

Government

Municipality, councillors, departments and public institutions within their lawful responsibilities.

Political Groups

All lawful groups may participate on equal terms; Aberdeen 2035 itself remains town-first and non-partisan.

Measure What Matters

How will we know Aberdeen is improving?

Progress should ultimately be measured by outcomes, not meetings or announcements.

Local JobsPeople moved into sustainable local work and income.
Local SpendShare of project and business spending retained locally.
New BusinessesBusinesses opened, expanded or attracted to Aberdeen.
Youth OutcomesTraining, apprenticeships, jobs and returning graduates.
CleanlinessMonitored public areas meeting the town standard.
Service ResolutionFaults resolved and average response time.
Visitor EconomyVisitor nights, events, local tourism activity and spend indicators.
Heritage ProtectedHistoric buildings recorded and responsibly managed.
Funding & Sustainability

Development must be financially sustainable.

Aberdeen 2035 can combine private investment, business participation, sponsorship, project funding, relevant public programmes, heritage or tourism funding and paid professional services.

Commercial services that create measurable value can generate income to help operate and expand the system, while community-benefit projects should have clear budgets, responsible parties and transparent reporting.

Commercial interests, sponsorships and conflicts of interest should be disclosed appropriately so that residents can distinguish public-benefit projects from paid private services.

Build With Aberdeen

Come to Aberdeen. Live here. Invest here. Build here.

Residents, businesses, farmers, young people, retirees, professionals, organisations, government, new residents and investors are welcome to participate. Help leave Aberdeen stronger than you found it.

Aberdeen 2035 is an independent town-development initiative within Aberdeen Hub. It does not replace the municipality, SAPS, statutory authorities or other organisations.