Comhairle Welcomes Spaceport Decision

25 July 2023 at 13:47:18

The Spaceport 1 Project Board welcomes the decision by Scottish Ministers not to call in the Spaceport 1 planning application for their own determination.  As a result, the decision by the Planning Applications Board to approve the application will stand.

A Comhairle spokesperson said:

"This is another important step forward in the plan to establish Spaceport 1 - a suborbital, vertical launch facility at Scolpaig, North Uist. Following receipt of the formal decision notice, our focus will turn to discharging the planning conditions and delivering on the mitigations laid out in the Environmental Impact Assessment. Spaceport 1 will provide an opportunity for the economy of the Outer Hebrides to grow and diversify and will provide much needed local, professional jobs and training opportunities. Prospective launch companies are already looking at working with local businesses and establishing an on-island presence to support launches in future years.  Even at this early stage, it is acknowledged by the launch industry that Spaceport 1 - and the Outer Hebrides - has a critical role to play in the expansion of the Scottish and UK space sectors."

Following detailed consideration of the conditions attached to the planning decision, the Project Board will develop the timeline for construction.  At this stage, it is anticipated that the first launch from Spaceport 1 could be in late 2024 / early 2025.

Further Information on the Spaceport 1 Project:

Planning Applications Board Report (2.3MB)