Inverness airport park wins £30m investment

Published on Thursday 7 April 2011 15:25

AN INDUSTRIAL property firm has agreed to pour £30 million into developing more than 400,000sq ft of business space at Inverness Airport.

Roxhill Developments has signed a seven-year deal with the Inverness Airport Business Park - a joint venture between Highlands and Islands Airports, Moray Estates and Highlands and Islands Enterprise - to develop offices, warehouses, industrial buildings and a hotel on the site.

If tenants can be found for the entire development, the firm estimates the scheme could attract 700 jobs in seven years and possibly as many as 1,200 in the next decade.

David Keir, executive chairman of Warwickshire-based Roxhill, said the site will be attractive to freight, logistics and warehousing companies.

"This is one of our most significant investments to date and we look forward to developing at Inverness Airport Business Park. Inverness is a fast growing city, yet it has a real shortage of industrial space. We look forward to making early announcements," he said. "I would certainly hope to see infrastructure work underway before the end of this year, with businesses open on site in 2012."

The Roxhill development will account for 30 acres of the 250 hectare Inverness Airport Business Park, which forms part of the A96 "growth corridor", linking Inverness and Nairn.

l Balfour Beatty, the building group, has acquired Power Efficiency, the energy procurement and carbon strategy consultancy, in a deal worth 18 million.

Power Efficiency, an employee- owned firm, will be integrated with Balfour Beatty WorkPlace's existing operations in energy management to create an energy services business with more than 100 technical specialists and account managers.

Balfour Beatty chief executive Ian Tyler said: "Providing our customers with help to reduce their energy costs and carbon footprint is an integral part of the service we offer. This acquisition enables us to add additional skills and capabilities to our existing services and I am delighted that Power Efficiency's management share our goal to build a leading energy services business."