Firm make multi-million pound offer for huge Highland construction yard

A multimillion pound deal is on the brink of being struck to breathe new life into a huge Highland fabrication yard.Talks over the sale of the former McDermott Yard at Ardersier – which once employed thousands of workers – are at an advanced stage.The Press and Journal understands that several firms have expressed an interest in the 700-acre site, which has been closed since 2001.An unnamed bidder is now believed to have had a proposal accepted in principle, and the legal firm handling the sale said last night it was working to “complete the deal”.Another source confirmed that a preferred bidder had been selected and that work was under way to get the sale “over the line”.Business chiefs and politicians welcomed the news, hailing the move as having the potential to make a “massive difference to the area”.The yard, 14 miles east of Inverness, employed 4,500 people at its peak, having operated as McDermott Yard since the early 1970s, constructing offshore oil and gas platforms until it was shut down.Plans to create 2,500 jobs at the facility at Whiteness, near Nairn, collapsed last year when its previous owners, Port of Ardersier Ltd, went into administration.It was put up for sale in February and it was specified that offers were being invited to take on the site in its entirety, rather than the land being broken up.The sale will include 340 acres suitable for development, and a 3,280ft-long deepwater harbour protected by a sand and shingle bank.Planning permission in principle remains live from 2014 to establish a port for the energy industry, as well as previously-approved planning consent to build 2,000 houses, a hotel, 500-berth marina and retail and leisure facilities.The sale is being handled by Valad Europe and Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) on behalf of administrators KPMG, who took over the yard in October last year.The property is now described as “under offer” on JLL’s website.