Aerospace giant Boeing set to land in Sheffield after council grants planning permission

The multi-million plans include a manufacturing and research building along with ancillary car parking and landscaping at the Sheffield Business Park in Tinsley.

Planners at Sheffield Council have approved the development which is due to open in 2018 creating 30 high-skilled jobs. The Sheffield site will be Boeing's first European factory.

The site will produce actuation systems for commercial aeroplanes, specifically the Next-Generation 737, 737 MAX and 777 models.

Councillor Mazher Iqbal, cabinet member for business and investment at Sheffield Council said: “We’re delighted that Boeing has chosen Sheffield as the location for their first factory in Europe, a decision that is testament to the great skills and research capability we have in the region.

“I’d also like to praise our planning team for the speedy way they have worked on this – Sheffield is a city that knows business and can handle the very biggest global companies.

“I’m looking forward to working with Boeing as one of its stated aims is to try and source significant amounts through the local supply chains – this is a tremendous opportunity for local companies and job creation."

James Needham, Senior Operations Manager for Boeing Sheffield said: "We are pleased that Sheffield Council has approved Boeing’s planning application for Boeing Sheffield. It will be located on a site adjacent to the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, co-founded with Boeing over a decade ago, in the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District.

“We also plan to place additional actuation systems work into Boeing Portland in Oregon, in the United States which will further build on their demonstrated capabilities.

"We are grateful to the Sheffield and Rotherham communities for supporting our planning application and we look forward to drawing on local talent and suppliers to make Boeing Sheffield a success.”

Sir Nigel Knowles, Chair of the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership said: “This multi-million-pound investment is fantastic news and further endorses the region’s credentials as a global centre for innovation-inspired advanced manufacturing.

“A lot of people across the region have worked in partnership to help bring this investment about and it will play to the strengths of our supply chain and skilled workforce.”

Professor Keith Ridgway, Executive Dean of the University of Sheffield’s AMRC, said: “It has always been our ambition that one day Boeing would open a manufacturing facility in Sheffield. This announcement is the culmination of a successful relationship that has developed since the AMRC with Boeing was founded 16 years ago.

"We are delighted that our region has come together to support this investment – it sets us apart as a leading location for high-value advanced manufacturing”

Sir Keith Burnett, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield, said: “Boeing Sheffield is hugely important, not only for our region and the North of England, but also the UK’s global industrial ambitions in high-productivity, high-value manufacturing.

"The Innovation District can play a crucial role in a new Industrial Revolution for the UK – one centred on science and innovation, but working hand in hand with industry. I am deeply proud that leading global companies recognise that Made in Sheffield still remains a hallmark of quality.”