Member Article

Durham Tees Valley to resubmit RGF bid

Durham Tees Valley Airport chiefs will resubmit their bid for Government support for a major development.

The Airport had submitted a RGF proposals for £5.9m to develop a 150 acres of land south of the runway.

Although the bid was rejected, this time the Airport hope support from the Tees Valley Unlimited LEP and local MPs will strengthen the proposition.

Robert Hough, chairman of the Airport, said: “We are obviously very pleased that the Government has decided to open a further round of the Regional Growth Fund and we hope it will give us the opportunity to progress with our plans for the development of the Southside project at the airport and to re-emphasise its significance to support aviation and job creation in the area.

“When the Chancellor announced in his Autumn Statement that the Government would be going ahead with a further round of the Regional Growth Fund we did make clear that we would be resubmitting the bid for the infrastructure works needed for the development of the Southside project.

“The Government has stressed the important role for Local Enterprise Partnerships and we look forward to working with Tees Valley Unlimited and our local authorities in examining how we can ensure that the Southside development is seen as an important element in the overall strategic plans for the area.

“Since becoming the majority shareholder in the airport a year ago we have made clear that it is vital for the future of Durham Tees Valley that we develop the full potential of the whole site and funding through the Regional Growth Fund would enable us to provide a link between the existing airport activities on the north side of the runway and the new employment land to the south.

“Whilst there are a wide range of possibilities for attracting businesses related to aviation support activities, we expect that a likely key element in the development would be logistics services, given the proximity to the A66, leading to the A1 and the national motorway network.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .