Multi-Million Deal Boosts Prospects in Ayrshire

On March 8th, Scottish Secretary David Mundell was joined by council leaders and the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for transport, infrastructure and connectivity, Michael Matheson, to sign a transformational growth deal for Ayrshire.

Both the UK and Scottish Governments will invest £103 million into the region over the next 15 years, which will be bolstered with further investment from regional partners bringing the total to more than £250 million.

Ayrshire comprises the three local authority areas of East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire and is home to approximately 370,000 people. The growth deal will invest in growing sectors including aerospace, energy and life sciences as well as building on Ayrshire’s existing strengths in food and drink, manufacturing and engineering.

Some of the projects, which are all subject to approval of final business cases, include:

£80 million investment to position Ayrshire as one of the UK’s leading centres of aerospace

£23 million to build on Ayrshire’s proud history of manufacturing

£24 million to help harness the potential of local energy generation

A further £18 million to create a Centre for Research into low carbon energy at the Hunterston industrial hub

£14 million investment in improving the region’s digital connectivity and infrastructure

Scottish Secretary David Mundell said: “It’s fantastic news that the UK Government is to invest more than £100 million to grow Ayrshire’s economy, create jobs and boost prosperity. This investment will transform the Ayrshire economy over the coming 15 years.

“We are investing in a raft of exciting and ambitious projects right across Ayrshire. Initiatives include an aerospace development at Prestwick, a low carbon energy scheme at Hunterston, a local electricity supply project in Cumnock, a manufacturing corridor in Kilmarnock, and a digital subsea cable to dramatically improve connectivity.

“The Ayrshire growth deal brings UK Government investment in growth deals in Scotland to £1.3 billion, a huge commitment to growing Scotland’s economy.”