An ambitious plan to bring work potentially worth billions of pounds linked to the expansion of Heathrow Airport to the Bristol area has moved a step closer.
Sites at Avonmouth and Severnside have been put forward as potential locations for logistics hubs to pre-assemble components for the airport’s new infrastructure. 
The components would then be delivered to site, making the £16bn project more affordable and spreading investment outside the South East.
From an initial 121 applications put forward earlier this year, 65 have been longlisted by Heathrow – including those at Avonmouth and Severnside.
The bid was made by Invest Bristol & Bath, the investment promotion agency for the Bristol and Bath region, part of the West of England Combined Authority and Local Enterprise Partnership.
It was backed by Metro Mayor Tim Bowles, who said: “It’s great to hear that our regional bid has reached the next stage. A hub would deliver hundreds of new jobs in the Avonmouth and Severnside Enterprise Area.
“I am confident that we are well-placed to deliver on this project because we have the right connections, skills and expertise. The West of England has an admirable track record of successfully delivering supply chains for a number of major UK infrastructure projects, including playing a pivotal role in high-profile programmes including Hinkley and Crossrail.
“The sites we have put forward are well-connected by road and freight links, and the Avonmouth and Severnside Enterprise Area is also served by Bristol Port. Our region is at the forefront of innovation, with access to a strong tech-based supply chain and we have the ambition and the skills to make an invaluable contribution to this development.”
The government last year chose Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, over Gatwick as its preferred location for air travel expansion in the South East. 
Under the proposals – which have not yet been approved by Parliament and could still face legal challenges – a third runway will be built at Heathrow, possibly opening as early as 2025.
Heathrow wants to spread the benefits associated with what would be one of the UK’s largest infrastructure projects – with a price tag of around £18bn – around the country by setting up the four regional logistics hubs.
Heathrow chairman Lord Deighton said: “As the UK leaves the EU, Heathrow is an essential infrastructure project that will ensure Britain remains an open trading nation.
“As part of that, Heathrow’s third runway will rely on talent from all over Britain helping to create a national asset for generations to come. This means new procurement opportunities for businesses in every region, helping drive growth and investment into local communities in all corners of this country.
“Our aim, to harness the skills we need through long-term projects such as the logistics hubs will drive jobs and investment leaving a legacy of increased productivity for the construction sector.
“The third runway is not a London centric project – it is one we are opening up to the whole of the UK, asking for its skills and expertise to help build an asset this country so desperately needs to safeguard its future prosperity.”
The hubs would reduce the amount of congestion caused by construction traffic in and around the airport and lower the number of on-site construction staff.
They could also bring together research and innovation in new construction techniques with factories or warehouses where prefabricated building and runway sections could be assembled before being transported to the airport.
Also on the longlist are a former cement works at Westbury, Wiltshire, and the former Royal Ordnance Factory at Bridgwater.
