REGIONAL REPORT: AYRSHIRE
http://www.insider.co.uk March 2020 INSIDER 81T
HE ECONOMY of Ayrshire
is set for a major boost over
the next few years if the hopes
of the backers of Ayrshire
Growth are realised. The deal, which
was signed a year ago brings together
the combined firepower of the UK
Government, Scottish Government
and the three local councils –
North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire
and East Ayrshire.
Sharon Hodgson, head of the
Ayrshire Growth Deal, at East
Ayrshire Council, says: “We’ve
secured £251m of investment, very
much focused around key strategic
sites and key sectors for Ayrshire,
building on the opportunities that
already exist and trying to really
grow our economy and transform the
fortunes of our communities.
“We have an expectation that the
Deal will create 7,000 jobs and that
the level of investment the public
sector is making should unlock
another £300m from the private
sector as a starting point.”
A key part of the Growth Dealand one that will go a long way to
determining its success is its ambition
for aerospace and space based around
Prestwick Airport.
Theo Leijser, service lead for
economy and regeneration at South
Ayrshire Council, says: “It’s a really
good opportunity to develop the
aerospace and space industry. The
elements for South Ayrshire arefocused around the airport campus.
It’s focusing on the airport as an asset
and how you can turn that asset into
something really valuable not just for
Ayrshire and Scotland but also for the
UK and globally.
“Certainly the aerospace sector is
growing very fast and has grown very
fast over the last 10 years. Also theemerging space sector which is not
just about rockets but about getting
satellites into orbit and getting the
data and mapping down to earth to
make better decisions about climate
change, agriculture etc. For me, it’s
a very clear focus which is trying to
drive a new sector which is based
on advanced manufacturing and
advance engineering.”
Travellers passing through
Prestwick Airport seeing how much
less busy it is currently than it once
was will not get any sense of the scale
of the existing aerospace activity
around Prestwick. Leijser says that
this is a hidden jewel of the Ayrshire
economy. “It is definitely a jewel:
the cluster that has formed around
Prestwick Airport around MRO
[maintenance, repair and operations]
activities around research and
development and around supporting
the aerospace sector. It’s not justAIMING HIGH
TO SECURE
JOBS AND
INVESTMENT ON
THE GROUND
By KEN SYMON in association with
Above: Ayrshire’s
strengths include
engineering, with firms
such as Howco GroupWe’re working with the same
project managers as they are in
Sutherland to make sure we capture
the complementarity
Sharon Hodgson, East Ayrshire Council (below)