Rolls-Royce plans for £45m plant

An engine testing facility is also being considered

Plans have been lodged for a new £45m Rolls-Royce factory in East Kilbride.

The state-of-the-art aero repair and overhaul plant will replace the company's ageing Nerston factory, safeguarding more than 1,000 jobs.

Rolls-Royce said the facility would be one of the most up-to-date of its kind in the world.

Consideration is also being given to investing in a new engine test facility, which is the subject of a separate planning application.

The factory will be sited at the Langlands Business Park in East Kilbride and is backed by a Scottish Executive regional grant of about £8m.

Scottish industry

Rolls-Royce said the move brought the total investment in the company's Scottish operations over the last two years to £130m.

Graeme Waddell, business director East Kilbride for Rolls-Royce, said: "Rolls-Royce is committed to delivering a world-class service to its customers, but that can only be achieved through state-of-the-art facilities supported by highly-skilled workers.

"The proposed Langlands development will be such a site and an asset not only to Rolls-Royce but to Scottish industry as a whole."

The Nerston facility opened in 1953 and is one of Rolls-Royce's specialist engine repair and overhaul facilities for the civil and defence sectors.