Lease agreement signed for far north space hub plan
A PLAN to create a space hub in the far north has taken an important step forward with the signing of a 75-year lease agreement between the landowner and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
Melness Crofters Estate (MCE) and the enterprise agency have agreed a deal which will secure the option to lease the land if planning consent is granted.
HIE is leading the development with a £2.5 million grant from the UK Space Agency (UKSA) which is also funding two launch companies that plan to use the facility.
Design work and scoping for environmental impact studies are under way. They will form part of the planning application being prepared to obtain consent in time for construction to start in 2020.
Roy Kirk, HIE’s Space Hub Sutherland project director, said: "We have maintained constructive dialogue with the Melness Crofters Estate throughout the process. We are very grateful to them for their input and co-operation and welcome this key stage in the project.
"The development is expected to generate many social and economic benefits for different parts of the region."
MCE chairwoman Dorothy Pritchard said: "We look forward to continuing our links with HIE, and to working with the launch companies and site operator to maximise job opportunities and community benefits for our area. We know there is a long way to go and that the next step is to go through to the planning stage. Like everyone else, we want to make sure the environmental and safety aspects of the proposed development are thoroughly examined and fully addressed as part of the process."
Claire Barcham, commercial space director at UKSA, said: "The UK Government’s Spaceflight Programme aims to help establish commercial launch from the UK and help ensure we play a leading role in the new space age. The agreement of the Spaceport Sutherland lease hold option is an important milestone and brings us one step closer to realising this ambition."
North MSP Gail Ross also welcomed the agreement, signed on Wednesday.
She said: "I look forward to hearing more detailed plans for the project and will continue to liaise with HIE and Space Hub Sutherland to ensure that any concerns from the community are addressed during the planning process."
Orbex’s interactions with the community in Tongue, Talmine and Melness have been overwhelmingly positive.
Chris Larmour, the chief executive of Orbex, the UK-based spaceflight company chosen to launch from the proposed spaceport, said: “We welcome this very positive step forward. Orbex’s interactions with the local community in Tongue, Talmine and Melness have been overwhelmingly positive and we’re pleased that this strong, long-term agreement is now in place.
“We look forward to working closely with the local community in the years to come, and we expect to have many locals working directly on the space launch programme as colleagues, ultimately helping the UK’s national space programme to begin launching satellites into space. That launch capability will be a first in continental Europe and will offer a host of benefits, enabling new markets and enlarging the UK’s share of the global space economy.”
In March this year HIE appointed architectural firm NORR Consultants to produce designs for the space hub. The agency is also working to secure a commercial operator for the facility.
