Bringing aviation back to Plymouth
Plymouth’s Council Leader reveals what the Freeport will mean for the future of the city’s airport in our exclusive #LeadersInLockdown interview
WATCH: Councillor Tudor Evans answers your questions in our exclusive #LeadersInLockdown interview from 7pm on March 18
The news of Plymouth becoming a Freeport has been welcomed by many - unlocking million pounds of funding, both in the city and across South Devon.
The freezone - set for sites such as Devonport South Yard, Langage Energy Zone and Sherford Business Park - aims to create space for businesses to import good and materials, add value to them, and export them.
Not only will it create 1,000 new jobs in the next two years, more than 70 local businesses are expected to benefit from the scheme; which is forecast to bring in over ÂŁ100 million investment in the next six years,
But what does this mean for the future of transport in Plymouth?
When the question was put to him as part of our exclusive #LeadersInLockdown interview, City Council Leader, Tudor Evans, says the Freeport is an opportunity to make rules here "different to other freeport propositions":
"We’re not going to be a container port like Liverpool or Hull, we’re never going to be doing that and nor do we want to be.
"What we want to do is build on success. So that’s why our partners in this venture include Babcock and Princess Yachts, who are two of our largest employers; because they - like us - are interested in using this to retain and develop skills in the local economy, to make their businesses go better and also to realise more of Plymouth’s potential."
Cllr Evans also adds that the Freeport is not just reliant on one mode of transport.
The local Labour leader says the water and road connections are "really important", but some are curious as to what it means for aviation.
There has been a lot of discussion around Plymouth’s former airport, with the council putting in a successful bid for consultancy advice from the Airfield Development Advisory Fund. This will help the local authority get advice on costs associated with bringing the airport back into use.
Cllr Evans says they already have aviation experts doing a survey and study for them as part of this:
"We are committed to bringing aviation back to Plymouth after the airport was shut."
"Now we’ve protected the site in the joint local plan for aviation use, and I’ve regularly made the case to Government to support the reintroduction of aviation in the city.
"I recently wrote to the city’s three MPs, asking them to make the case to the Government on the merits of supporting the reintroduction of aviation."
Plymouth’s airport closed and ceased operation on 23 December 2011.
The site is currently being used to store giant concrete beams for the Forder Valley Link Road.