MP’s back Heathrow expansion – a move which could see Deeside benefit from a logistics hub

MPs have backed plans to build a third runway at London’s Heathrow airport.

The move could see Deeside benefit with the creation of a Heathrow logistics hub on the site of Tata Steel in Shotton.

The government won a vote in the Commons on Monday evening by 415 votes to 119 – a majority of 296.

There are six sites in Wales being considered by Heathrow for a logistic hub, initially, there were two sites in Deeside vying for the hub. Tata Steel in Shotton and aptly named Airfields – the Northern Gateway in Sealand.

Airfields developers recently said they do not want the site put forward as a logistics hub at this time “because of their own aspirations for the site.” A Welsh Government spokesperson told Deeside.com.

Deeside made it’s pitch for a hub in May when Welsh Economy Secretary Ken Skates, Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns and key regional stakeholders met with a team from Heathrow team led by Expansion Programme Director Phil Wilbraham.

Bill Duckworth, Tata Steel site manager at Shotton in North Wales, said:

“Our site already produces the best building system products available and would make an ideal choice for one of the proposed Heathrow extension Logistics Hubs. This would present an ideal opportunity to work hand-in-hand with Heathrow not just as a hub, but possibly as a major supplier too.

We have the land, the road, rail and sea links to the rest of the UK required by this landmark project and – most importantly – the belief to see what this can mean for the economies of Wales.”

Opponents ‘No 3rd Runway Coalition’ said:

“Heathrow has been conducting a variety of lavishly funded public relations exercises to counter the widely held perception that its expansion would be yet another South East centric project, that can only further entrench our country’s economic divisions.

It is far from clear that these paltry benefits could ever do very much for any region outside of the South East, even if all their leaders had been tricked into suggesting otherwise, as they fought hard not to become one of the 61 losers in this “logistic hub” dance-off.”