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Representatives of Melness Crofters Estate (MCE) and HIE signed the agreement yesterday (Wednesday 31 July). It secures the option for HIE to lease the land once planning consent for the project has been granted.
HIE is leading the development, with a £2.5m 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 well underway. This 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:
“Space Hub Sutherland development is expected to generate many social and economic benefits for different parts of the region. 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.”
Dorothy Pritchard, MCE chair 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, 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.”
In March this year HIE appointed architectural firm, NORR Consultants, to lead on producing designs for the space hub. The agency is also working to secure a commercial operator for the facility.
Businesses in the Highlands and Islands continue to be challenged by increasing costs, economic uncertainty and supply chain issues.
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Another 22 young business leaders from around the Highlands and Islands have become the latest to take part in a year-long programme aimed at developing the next generation of entrepreneurs.
A three-year strategy to help in the recovery of the tourism industry in Caithness and Sutherland has secured £365,000 investment from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
Scotland’s growing space industry has the potential to help put the UK at the forefront of the worldwide launch market for small commercial satellites over the next few years, a new study has found.
Plans to purchase and develop a former church in Easter Ross into a facility for the community and visitors, are a step closer with the completion of the funding package.
Plans to establish a vertical launch site for satellites in the north of Scotland have taken another step forward.
Ambitious plans to launch satellites into orbit from the north Highlands of Scotland have been approved by the area’s local authority.