St Athan, Aerospace Business Park - UPDATE
The St Athan Aerospace Business Park established in 2003, is undergoing significant change as part of the exciting St Athan Development Programme preparing for the arrival of the much publicised Defence Training Academy. St. Athan will be the location of the new UK MOD tri-service training centre – a 25 year, £10 billion contract.
The newly revised Aerospace Business Park Master plans now include for a site that over the next 5 years will incorporate the potential for a wide range of bespoke hangars (alongside the current operational hangars). These could range in size from small General AircraftOperations up to and including 767 jet aircraft and also include rotary facilities.
During the summer of 2008 the 1825 metre runway is undergoing a multi-million pound facelift which will move the operating standards of the airfield towards civil licensing standards.
During the period 2008 to 2014 the Aerospace Business Park will be working closely with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Metrix to ensure that the Defence Training Academy construction programme and the Aerospace Business Park continue to develop in harmony. The ultimate benefits of both these
flagship projects for Wales offer a unique opportunity for organisations who wish to be part of this exciting and prestigious development. Major proposals to redevelop the old RAF St Athan base plus adjoining land into a major aerospace business park of 200 acres (plus the airfi eld of 250 acres) are
now actively being progressed by theWelsh Assembly Government. When complete, the park hopes to create up to 3000 new jobs.
The RAF St Athan facility is currently used for a varied range of military and commercial operations generally associated with the operational airfi eld. The major development proposal is promoted by the Welsh Assembly Government, the MOD and Metrix, a private sector consortium comprising 12 partners including Land Securities Trillium, Qinetiq, Raytheon, Sodexo, Dalkia and Laing O’Rourke. The development of the Defence Training Academy is one of the largest public-private partnership contracts to be undertaken in the UKon behalf of the MOD. The project involves developing a new military academy for 8,500 personnel, plus two major housing estates for about 600 dwellings.
To support all this core development, major on and off-site road schemes and an extension to the local sewage treatment works will be constructed as an integral part of the package of proposals. The timetable is dictated by Metrix and the MOD achieving Financial Close by the end of 2009, which in turn requires planning permission to be obtained prior to this date.
