Transport for the North has welcomed the news that the North of England has been shortlisted as the home for four new logistics hubs for Heathrow Airport, as part of planning for its major expansion.
Thirty-two locations across the North have been put forward to become hubs for the off-site production of components for the airport’s new runway. Manchester’s Airport City, Port of Liverpool and Leeds Bradford Airport are just three of the locations shortlisted that, if chosen, are expected to boost regional economies and create thousands of jobs.
Heathrow Airport representatives will be visiting the Sellafield site in Cumbria today as a tour of 65 shortlisted sites across the UK comes to an end.
A spokesperson for Transport for the North said: “It’s great that businesses in the North are being given the opportunity to contribute to one the UK’s most high-profile construction projects that will provide a lasting skills legacy for future generations.
“Our Northern Powerhouse Independent Economic Review evidenced that, by building on the region’s unique capabilities, we can close the persistent economic gap between the North and the rest of England. By investing in world-class transport infrastructure, we can enable easier, faster and more reliable links to move people and goods between the major economic centres of the North, therefore increasing access to talented staff, suppliers, collaborators and customers, at home and abroad.
“The Review identified both Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics as areas where the North has particular expertise, so it makes sense to build on these strengths by locating the Heathrow logistics hubs here in the North, recognising the skills and expertise our region can offer the UK economy.”
The project is the first major infrastructure project in the UK to pioneer the large-scale use of logistics hubs – aiming to build as much of the project off-site as possible. The hubs will work by pre-assembling components off-site before transporting them in consolidated loads to Heathrow as and when required.
Heathrow Airport plan to confirm the chosen locations for the new logistics hubs next year.