- Today, Brandon Lewis MP joins Heathrow CEO to visit Peel Ports Great Yarmouth in the hunt for the final four Logistics Hubs
- Successful Logistics Hubs will participate in the off-site construction of Britain’s new runway – spreading economic benefits across the UK
- The East of England is home to two longlisted sites in the running to become a Heathrow Logistics Hub
- Heathrow expansion is set to create up to 12,900 new jobs and generate up to £15 billion of economic benefits across the East of England
Today, Heathrow Airport CEO John Holland-Kaye and Brandon Lewis, MP for Great Yarmouth and Chairman of the Conservative Party will visit Peel Ports Great Yarmouth. This site is one of the two longlisted sites in the East of England, and the visit is part of a nationwide tour of 65 sites still in the running to be offsite construction centres for Heathrow expansion.
The final four Logistics Hubs will help ensure that businesses across the UK will form part of the airport’s supply chain, enabling Heathrow’s new runway to deliver a legacy of construction excellence in different locations around the UK.
Heathrow representatives will be visiting two sites in the East of England in the next few months, the second of which will be Opportunity Peterborough’s Roxhill Scheme at Gateway. During each visit, the prospective Logistics Hub will have the opportunity to demonstrate the strengths of their proposal. The delegation will visit all longlisted locations in the first half of 2018, assessing their suitability before putting successful bids through the next round.
Heathrow expansion is set to deliver up to 12,900 new jobs and £15 billion worth of wider economic benefits across East Anglia. The region is also set to benefit from more connections between the East of England and the UK’s only hub airport with the arrival of Crossrail in Shenfield. The nationwide tour of the longlisted Logistics Hub sites is another milestone in the delivery of Heathrow expansion, ahead of an expected Parliamentary vote on the policy framework in the first half of this year.
Heathrow is pioneering Logistics Hubs, where components of the airport will be pre-assembled before being transported in consolidated loads to the airport. Logistics Hubs are essential in ensuring Heathrow expansion delivers for the whole country by spreading jobs, boosting productivity and modernising the construction industry outside of London and the South East. They will ensure that 60% of the procurement spend for expansion will be outside of London, spreading the benefits of local investment up and down the country.
As well as the direct benefits, the latest research from WPI Economics shows that, if adopted more widely, the Logistics Hubs model could spur growth in off-site construction and lead to productivity boost worth £30 billion for the industry outside of London by 2025.
Heathrow’s Logistics hubs feature in the Government’s Industrial Strategy, listed as an example of how to develop skills across the UK and create conditions where successful businesses can emerge. Heathrow has also begun working with infrastructure companies to explore how the final sites could be used for future projects, creating a long-lasting legacy for Britain
In addition to this, SMEs across the East of England will also have the opportunity to attend the Heathrow Business Summit which will be held in Colchester for the first time on Tuesday 17th April. These summits offer small business across the region the opportunity to become part of Heathrow’s supply chain. On the day, SMEs from East Anglia will have the opportunity to meet with Heathrow’s biggest suppliers during ‘speed-dating’ appointments.
Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said:
“These hubs are key to ensuring the new runway delivers for all of Britain, transforming the industry and creating a skills legacy for future generations. We’re looking forward to visiting the sites in the East of England and working to ensure expansion delivers for the region.”
Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP, Chairman of the Conservative Party, said:
"I am pleased that Heathrow are visiting the longlisted Logistics Hubs site, promoted by Peel Ports in Great Yarmouth today. Off-site manufacturing - through Logistics Hubs - are a great opportunity to boost jobs and growth around the Norfolk and beyond, whilst playing an essential part in delivering one of the UK's most significant infrastructure projects to ensure Britain's competitiveness for future generations."
Richard Goffin, Port Director, Peel Ports Great Yarmouth said:
“We are pleased that Peel Ports Great Yarmouth is one of the sites being considered for a new logistics hub, the project has the potential to create a lasting impact on the region, creating new jobs and tapping into a highly skilled, local workforce.
Great Yarmouth is already a thriving offshore energy hub, and through supporting this sector, we have built up an excellent reputation to support some of the largest projects in the UK.
Our port offers a solution that minimises overall CO2 emissions compared to other longlisted sites.”
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