Grangemouth Investment Zone is a nationally significant site for industry and freight. There is a need for further upgrading of freight handling facilities to enhance business activity on the site, flood defences to improve the resilience of the site and protect its industrial use, and improved transport links to assist with logistics and minimise the impact of industrial traffic on the surrounding community. During the lifetime of NPF3 we expect proposals to progress, with additional funding having been made available through Falkirk Council’s Tax Incremental Financing scheme. Continued partnership working will support delivery, and help to manage impacts on the local community and sensitive environment of the Forth Estuary.

Implementation Lead(s): Forth Ports, Landowners, Falkirk Council

Locations: Business and industrial areas to the west, north and east of Grangemouth.

Further reading:

Falkirk Council Local Development Plan

Main Issues Report Local Development Plan 2

Forth Ports

Ineos

Environmental Mitigation:  Project level EIA will be undertaken as required. The SEA for NPF3 identified the importance of considering impacts of development and associated transportation activity on air quality, population and health. Continuing coordination of development in the area will be required. Project level Habitats Regulation Appraisal will be required and the mitigation included in the Habitats Regulation Appraisal Record should be used to inform planning processes and be applied as appropriate.

Ongoing Activity and Milestones:

Falkirk Local Development Plan 2 proposed plan published in September 2018 and consultation completed. Examination to take place in Summer/Autumn 2019. The Outline Business Case Proposal for the Falkirk – Grangemouth Investment Zone was submitted to the Scottish and UK Government in May 2018. Nine individual Investment Zone projects are now being worked up to Strategic Outline Business Case stage for consideration.

Road improvements are progressing as part of the Falkirk Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) scheme; M9 junction 6 on- and off-slip signaling and roundabout widening completed June 2014.

Improvement work to M9 Junction 5 (phase1) will commence with advanced utility diversion/protection works due for completion by March 2019. The main roads contract is expected to commence in May 2019 and involves the signalisation of the M9 Junction 5 Roundabout (Cadgers Brae) and will be a similar treatment to the completed M9 junction 6 improvements.

Improvement works to the A904/A9 Westfield Roundabout are expected to commence towards the end of 2019/20. A revised programme is under development to carry out all 3 phases of the Westfield Infrastructure works (Westfield Roundabout, West Mains to Earlsgate and A904/A9 dualling and improvements) in a single contract including a grade separated footway/cycleway bridge at Westfield Roundabout to address segregation issues for vulnerable users and provide safe connectivity between the Gateway/Stadium/Fire Station and Helix sites for pedestrians and cyclists.

Grangemouth Flood Protection Scheme (GFPS) has now been confirmed as the National Priority 1 and 80% funding to the scheme has been confirmed by SG with initial funding provided for preparatory/design work undertaken to date. The Council supplied it’s anticipated expenditure profile to deliver the GFPS (revised estimate £152m) to Scottish Government in October 2018.

Information gathering for the GFPS continues, with the 2 year bird survey and ground investigation within industry now complete. Ground investigation contracts have been awarded for the upper and lower Carron (docks area) as well as along the Grangeburn. Option appraisal is substantially complete and consultation with Falkirk Council internal stakeholders, statutory bodies and industrial partners has been carried out to inform the appraisal process. Consultation with elected members, Community Councils and public consultation has also been carried out. Outline design is now progressing and, on completion, will allow the scheme to be formally advertised. The timescales for the scheme are dependent on whether any material objections are received during the formal advertising of the scheme and whether a public local inquiry (PLI) is required. Assuming there are no unresolved objections to the scheme and that a PLI has not been necessary, submission of the scheme to Scottish Government by Autumn 2019 is anticipated to secure deemed planning consent. An anticipated construction start is still programmed for 2022.

The Grangemouth rail line freight electrification project will be carried out as part of the EGIP stage 2 Grahamston Line Electrification works and is due for completion by March 2019.

A801 Avon Gorge link project is ’shovel ready’. Falkirk Tax Incremental Finance scheme contribution has been identified and programmed. Funding options for West Lothian Council and Scottish Government are being confirmed at the present time.

A third container crane has joined the Forth Ports’ fleet as part of a £10 million investment programme at the port to increase handling capacity and service for customers by ensuring a faster turnaround time for cargo. More than £6 billion worth of goods passes through Grangemouth each year including food and drink, chemicals, timber, paper and equipment for the oil and gas industry.

A masterplan has been developed for the Ineos site with around 200 acres to be made available for industrial co-location.  An application has been made to erect gatehouses, a security building and fencing, and five pipe bridges on the A904 Bo’ness Road between the Inchyra Roundabout and the River Avon Bridge This was subject to an appeal in 2018 and is presently with Ministers for decision. INEOS  acquired the North Sea forties pipeline system and Kinneil Terminal from BP in 2017. Planning consent has been granted for a new gas powered CHP plant on Bo’ness Road which will replace existing plant and augment the remaining CHP plant and an application is expected in 2019 to replace existing plant with a new state of the art refinery complex.

An energy from waste CHP plant has been consented on Earlsgate Business Park replacing CalaChem’s existing gas powered plant. This will provide lower carbon heat and power to CalaChem and other business users at the Earlsgate Park site. Celtic Renewables are also constructing a biofuels demonstration plant on the Earlsgate Park site.