Partners join forces to develop Scotland’s future gateway port

Forth Ports Ltd has joined forces with Scottish Enterprise and the City of Edinburgh Council, in an agreement that will develop an ambitious new masterplan to create a 21^st century gateway port at Leith.

Under a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the three partners will work together to capitalise on the economic potential of the port by conducting a range of technical and feasibility studies that will form the basis of future plans for the port.

With considerable economic potential in the port’s capacity to serve a range of industries, such as manufacturing and tourism, it is expected that the port will have a critical role to play as a catalyst for Scotland’s economic growth.

Scottish Enterprise will now procure planning, feasibility and design work and where appropriate assist with unlocking derelict and redundant land for economic development purposes.

First Minister Alex Salmond said: “This agreement signals the dawn of a new era for Leith, which will ensure that it plays a central role in supporting economic growth in the Lothians and in the wider Scottish economy. It underlines the commitment of the partners to working together to develop Leith into a 21st century port that plays a strategic role across many of Scotland's key industries.”

Lena Wilson, chief executive at Scottish Enterprise said: “Scotland’s ports have an important role to play in supporting our nation’s economy. As Scotland's capital port, Leith’s strategic position offers significant untapped potential to serve a range of industries.

“However, we recognise that to realise its true potential, strategic planning and investment in the port and surrounding infrastructure is required. This partnership will result in an ambitious plan to ensure Leith’s assets are exploited to help create new jobs and economic growth for Scotland.”

Charles Hammond, chief executive of Forth Ports, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Scottish Enterprise and the City of Edinburgh Council on this significant project for the Port of Leith. Our ports in Scotland play a key role in supporting Scotland’s economy and this masterplan project to identify the opportunities for Leith, the largest deep water port in Scotland with over 60 hectares of portside development land, to become an even more important transport hub is exciting.

“I am confident that not only will we identify ways in which existing users of the Port of Leith will be able to grow their businesses, but also that we can attract early investment from the growing renewables industry as well as other key industries, including tourism.”

Cllr Tom Buchanan, Convener of the Economic Development Committee, said: "The Waterfront is a key investment zone for Edinburgh's future growth. The Council recognises the importance of the public and private sectors working together to deliver ambitious plans for the city and I am delighted we now have such a strong partnership to develop this area."

The Port of Leith is Scotland’s largest enclosed deepwater port with 158 hectares of land, up to 100 hectares of water area and the capability to handle ships up to 50,000 DWT. Significant capital investment has been made in the development of port infrastructure to ensure that the highest level of service is provided to customers.

The fact that it is a non-tidal enclosed dock system makes it ideal for more complex cargo handling and specialist work and it is anticipated that as industry scales up at the port, there will be significant infrastructure improvements made to give optimum access to the dock.

Previous plans for Leith’s port and waterfront included large scale regeneration to transform the area for residential and leisure purposes. This MoU will allow parties to reshape the vision for the Port of Leith, taking into account the current economic challenges and opportunities.