BAE Barrow staff eco-travel scheme 'lacks serious commitment'

The Barrow shipyard has about 10,000 people working there

BAE Systems insists it is "committed" to achieving net zero by 2030, after a car-sharing scheme was criticised.

Its Barrow yard, where the Royal Navy's Dreadnought class models are built, had made "limited progress" since 2016 over a staff travel plan, a council said.

Borough council planning officer Maureen Smith said the issue had been "continually raised".

BAE said there had been a reduction in single-occupancy car journeys and it had encouraged cycling and walking.

It added that a "range of measures" had been put in place to ensure the company reached its environmental goals.

'Little tangible evidence'

The comments were raised in a report regarding an application for BAE to change the use of a former detergent factory building, located at the former McBride site in Barrow's Park Road, which would be used for storage and distribution.

Dreadnought-class submarines are intended to carry the next generation of nuclear deterrent

Ms Smith said the organisation's current travel plan appeared "to lack a sense of serious commitment and does not seem to have achieved much in recent years despite the stated ambitions to lead in this area".

A travel plan submitted as part of the application said the business would become "a role model in modern working practices" and a leader in such "environmental responsibilities".

But Ms Smith said there appeared to be "little tangible evidence to back this statement up or contribute towards BAE's net zero targets either within the travel plan or the application".

She recommended the McBride application for approval by the council, subject to the condition that BAE submit a "more committed" sustainable travel plan to the planning authority, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Four Dreadnought class submarines are being built, each weighing about 17,000 tonnes

A BAE spokesman said since its initial travel survey in 2014 it had overseen a reduction in single-occupancy car journeys of 18.2% and an increase in "cleaner, greener and healthier" modes of commuting such as walking and cycling.

"We recognise more can be achieved and sustainability, alongside supporting the local community, is a key focus as we redevelop our site to deliver the next generation of submarines to our Royal Navy," a spokesperson added.

Dreadnought submarines will carry the UK's nuclear weapons and replace the Vanguard class currently providing the UK's nuclear deterrent.