Aerospace project gets £ 250,000 funding boost
Plans to drive forward development at Prestwick in the aerospace and space hub sectors is to benefit from a major new project.
South Ayrshire Council has agreed to joint fund a two- year support package designed to build Prestwick’s momentum as one of the UK’s leading aerospace clusters.
Almost £ 250,000 will be invested to develop the town’s aerospace sector as part of work driven by the Prestwick Aerospace partnership.
The council has approved £ 120,000 from an existing budget – a figure being matched by Scottish Enterprise.
The money will be used to pay for a “comprehensive development programme,” said bosses this week.
It’s understood the package will include infrastructure, business development, energy reduction, and supply chain development.
Prestwick Airport is to provide office and admin support to a new programme manager working on the initiative, with the successful candidate to be based at the airport.
The announcement comes as Prestwick’s Spaceport proposal gathers momentum.
Council chief executive Eileen Howat said: “Aerospace is already a vital sector for the Ayrshire and Scottish economy and we’re now entering an exciting phase where we need to push forward our ambitious plans for Prestwick.
“Recent news of the licensing framework for spaceports means that Prestwick stands the best chance of being the UK’s first commercial hubs to service growing demand for industrial and tourism space related services.
“But to achieve wider growth in the aerospace sector we need to invest, and as part of a wider approach, we’re looking to secure an exceptional individual to help accelerate jobs growth and attract investment, and I think this new appointment will do just that.”
Ayrshire is currently home to 3200 aerospace workers, with five per cent growth forecasts suggesting the figure could rise by 2000 in the next ten years.
The Spaceport project could see that figure rise to 6650 by 2028 .
Allan McQuade, Business Infrastructure Director at Scottish Enterprise, added: “Prestwick could soon become a world leader in an emerging market, we want to help create an environment that delivers competitive advantage for the Scottish aerospace industry, while also driving innovation in the aerospace and space industries.
“The forecasts already point to strong growth for Prestwick but the hard work starts now if we are to steal a march on competitors from across the UK.”