Big names miss out on Heathrow construction hub shortlist
Tata Steel’s site in Deeside and the Lillyhall Industrial Estate in Workington are the North West’s two representatives on a shortlist of 18 UK sites to host Heathrow Airport’s off-site construction hub, with high-profile developments such as Logistics North and Wirral Waters missing out.
The 18 sites have been narrowed down from a longlist of 65, and the North West only has two representatives in the Tata site at Shotton-Deeside, and the industrial estate in Workington, the latter of which is to be delivered by McKeating.
Eight sites in the North West had made the longlist: Cammell Laird sites at Wirral Waters and Campbeltown Road; Airport City; Kingsway Business Park in Rochdale; Logistics North in Bolton; Port Salford; and Peel’s Port of Liverpool; as well as the successful Lillyhall.
In North Wales, Tata’s site was shortlisted alongside The Airfields at Deeside Northern Gateway, the latter of which missed out.
The 18 successful sites and the regions are:
- Iver Hub, South East
- Burton Superhub, West Midlands
- Port of Cardiff, Wales
- Rosyth Dockyard, Scotland
- Birch Coppice Industrial Estate, West Midlands
- British Steel – Brigg Road, Yorkshire & Humber
- Forth Ports Rosyth, Scotland
- Ayrshire Logistics Hub, Scotland
- Michelin site, Silverwood Business Park, Northern Ireland
- Ballykelly, Northern Ireland
- Mossend International Rail Freight Park, Scotland
- Lillyhall Industrial Estate, North West
- Dalton Airfield Industrial Estate, Yorkshire & Humber
- Tarmac Westbury Works, South West
- Tarmac Hindlow Quarry, East Midlands
- Tarmac Thrislington Works, North East
- Tata Shotton Deeside, Wales
- Wincanton Greenford, London
Four of these will ultimately be chosen to host the airport’s off-site construction hub; this will be announced early next year, with work starting in 2021. The hubs will work by pre-assembling components off-site before transporting them in consolidated loads to Heathrow on demand.
Emma Gilthorpe, Heathrow’s executive director for expansion said: “Our expansion plans are progressing apace and continue to be refined thanks to feedback from a wide range of stakeholders. Heathrow is as committed as ever to creating a plan that delivers for every corner of the UK. Logistics hubs are key to achieving that. This innovative approach will be more cost effective, efficient and sustainable, helping to unlock much needed capacity quickly and responsibly.
“Logistics hubs are also integral to harnessing the skills the UK needs post-Brexit. We are working with other major infrastructure projects to see if they might also benefit from these hubs, creating a bright, new future for the UK’s construction sector. One in which we’re better utilising new technology and offsite techniques to spread the benefits of major projects like expansion nationwide.”
