Business briefs: North Sea safety record caution | Tale of two cities over office space

Steve Walker, head of the HSE’s offshore safety division, said there were 52 leaks that could have led to a major incident in the year to 31 March, down from 73 the previous year and the lowest figure for ten years. The number of minor hydrocarbon releases also fell to a ten-year low of 75.

Laura Cameron, a partner at law firm Pinsent Masons who specialises in health and safety, said the figures emphasised the “futility” of proposed EU involvement in regulating safety in the North Sea.

She added: “The message from today’s data must be that if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.”

Tale of two cities over office space

Demand for serviced office space has risen sharply in Glasgow this year but there has been a marked decline in Edinburgh.

Data from Officebroker shows 31 per cent more businesses had taken up office space in Glasgow compared with a year ago. That was in sharp contrast with Edinburgh, which has seen a 25 per cent drop.

The figures also revealed that firms were willing to pay a premium for Glasgow office accommodation, with the cost per workstation rising 14 per cent to £265 a month. In Edinburgh, costs fell 30 per cent to £211.

Chris Meredith, head of sales at Officebroker, said Edinburgh’s “premium factor” had begun to fade since several large occupiers relocated at the end of last year, but this was giving firms greater flexibility when it came to choosing new office space.

Chamber move to £2.4m Hub office

Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce has opened the doors of its new office at Aberdeen Energy Park.

The Chamber is now based at the £2.4 million Hub development, a joint venture between Scottish Enterprise and Buccleuch Property.

Robert Collier, Chamber chief executive, said: “Our new offices will enable us to give better and broader support to our members.”

Business briefs: North Sea safety record caution | Tale of two cities over office space | Chamber move to £2.4m Hub office