Freeport approval jobs hope

Hope was expressed this week that the new Forth Green Freeport would bring greater employment opportunities to Stirling and Clackmannanshire.

Forth Green Freeport’s successful bid was announced last week along with the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport.

The Forth site includes Grangemouth, Rosyth and Leith as well as Edinburgh Airport and a site at Burntisland in Fife.

Based around renewables manufacturing, alternative fuels, carbon capture and shipbuilding, it is expected to attract up to £6billion of investment and create 50,000 jobs across the UK.

Forth Valley Chamber of Commerce president Lynn Harris expressed hope it would bring jobs to Stirling and Clackmannanshire.

She said: “While it is too early to say what specific benefits there will be for businesses in Clackmannanshire and Stirling, we are hopeful the decision will lead to an influx of jobs across the central belt. The establishment of a green growth investment corridor is set to bring thousands of jobs in low carbon logistics, renewable energy, green manufacturing and alternative fuels and these jobs are expected to be spread widely across Scotland and the UK as whole.

“This is a transformational initiative and we look forward to witnessing the economic benefits and engaging with a growing number of businesses.”

Forth Green Freeport lead, Forth Ports chief executive Charles Hammond added: “The benefits of trade will be spread widely into the communities that need it the most, through the establishment of a green growth investment corridor creating tens of thousands of jobs in low carbon logistics, renewable energy, green manufacturing and alternative fuels. These new jobs will not just be in Grangemouth, Leith and Rosyth, but in Glasgow and Edinburgh; the Lothians, Stirling and Falkirk; Dunfermline and Burntisland; and across the UK.”