Heathrow work up for grabs

A Heathrow Airport delegation is to visit ten long-listed sites in Scotland for a “logistics hub” to help in the construction supply chain for the airport’s third runway.

All sites will be visited by the end of June, with the winner aiming to build as much of the project off site as possible.

Heathrow Airport said the first four Scottish sites being visited this week are Westfield, Rosyth Business Park, Forth Ports Rosyth and Longannet.

Scotland is the only area that is guaranteed a logistics hub as part of a commitment outlined in the airport’s memorandum of understanding with the Scottish Government.

Heathrow has said the preassembling of components off site is expected to generate 16,000 jobs and £17 billion in economic benefits in Scotland.

Other potential hubs to be visited are Glasgow Prestwick Airport; Eurocentral/ Mossend; Glasgow Airport Investment Area/westway site; Queenslie Industrial Estate; Hunterston; and Mossend.

Heathrow Airport will also host a business summit in Glasgow in September to give smaller Scottish firms the opportunity to play a part in the supply chain for the third runway.

Lord Deighton, chairman of Heathrow Airport, said: “An expanded Heathrow will deliver for Scotland, and these hubs and business summits are instrumental (in ensuring) that expansion spreads the potential £17bn in economic benefits across the nation.”

Liz Cameron, chief executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said a guaranteed Heathrow logistics hub in Scotland “ensures that Scottish businesses of all sizes will benefit from supply chain opportunities that an expanded Heathrow will bring”.