Flight International online news 12:30GMT: Defence giant BAE Systems is looking to turn part of its Salmesbury site in north-west England into a regional aerospace business park by persuading suppliers and other smaller companies to take up residence.
BAE manufactures parts of the Eurofighter Typhoon and components for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter at the facility near Preston, but it says surplus land is available for the development, which it is planning in conjunction with the Northwest Regional Development Agency.
The development, says the company, would help to sustain and create thousands of jobs in the aerospace industry and potentially could see hundreds of millions of pounds invested into the facility.
The project to potentially develop the site has come as a result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the NWDA and BAE Systems, which will see them work together in developing a strategy for the aerospace industry in the region.
BAE says: “The proposed development of BAE Systems Samlesbury will help the NWDA and BAE Systems maximise the skills, technology and knowledge that the region possesses, which will galvanise the regional supply base and provide a viable industrial base to attract inward investment.”
MURDO MORRISON/LONDON
Source: Flight International
