New train factory at former Longannet site approved by councillors

Plans to build a new train factory at the site of the former Longannet power station have moved forward after councillors approved plans to redevelop the site.Fife Council’s central and west planning committee approved Scottish Enterprise’s proposals to the site, with a mix of business, general industrial use, and storage and distribution, in the hope of bringing hundreds of jobs and economic regeneration to the area.The site has already been named by Spanish train manufacturer Talgo as the preferred location for their new UK manufacturing base, which the company says will create 1,000 jobs on site.The planning consent follows the news that Talgo UK, Scottish Enterprise and Transport Scotland recently signed a jointly agreed framework for the establishment of part of the Longannet site as a manufacturing base for Talgo UK.The plans to regenerate the site of Scotland’s last coal-fuelled power station also support the council’s wider aim of reducing carbon emissions.