Keighley is set to become home to a £9 million space and satellite testing centre offering specialist facilities currently unavailable anywhere else in the North of England.
Bradford Council’s Executive has approved £4.5 million towards the development of Space Test North at Providence Park in Keighley, a project council bosses say could put the town at the heart of the North’s growing space industry.
The facility will be developed by BSC Filters, part of US-based Dover Corporation, with the company funding the remainder of the £9m investment.
BSC Filters already has credentials in the space sector, with a council report highlighting its involvement in the development of the Skynet 6A military communications satellite.
Talks between Bradford Council and the company began in 2024, with Keighley competing against the prospect of investment going overseas.
The £4.5m public contribution will come from Government funding allocated to Keighley for regeneration.
A report presented to Bradford Council’s Executive on Tuesday said the company plans to invest in specialist manufacturing and testing capacity to support growth in the space and satellite communications market.
It said: “Subject to grant support, BSC Filters will establish a long-term base in Keighley on a ten-year lease, choosing to invest in Bradford District rather than overseas.
“Public intervention is required for this project to address the viability gap.”
Dave Shepherd, Bradford Council’s Director for Place, told the meeting there were already 143 space-related businesses operating across Yorkshire and the Humber.
But the proposed Keighley facility would provide something currently missing from the region.
“It would offer a service not available anywhere else in the North of England,” he said.
“But this will not proceed without public investment. It will re-establish Keighley’s reputation for engineering, and will position Keighley at the forefront of the UK’s fastest growing industry.”
Councillor Andrew Judson (Reform), Portfolio Holder for Economy, Regeneration and Planning, said the development could also create opportunities for young people to pursue highly skilled careers without having to leave the district.
He said: “We have consistently said Bradford is open for business.
“The proposal is about creating high-quality jobs, talented young people in the town will be able to build careers without having to leave the district.”
However, the decision to award £4.5m of public funding to a company owned by a major US multinational was challenged during the meeting.
Councillor Caroline Firth (Lab, Keighley East) questioned why Dover Corporation could not fund the entire development itself.
She said: “This is a relatively small amount of money when the parent company made £8.4 billion revenue in 2024 when these discussions started.
“Why isn’t the parent company funding this themselves?”
Mr Shepherd acknowledged that public funding for multinational companies could attract scrutiny, but said competition for corporate investment meant financial intervention was sometimes necessary to secure major projects.
Some details of the negotiations could not be discussed publicly, he added.
“With all organisations there is a huge competition for capital on numerous projects,” Mr Shepherd said.
“Whilst the optic of large, multinational corporations asking for grant support to do a project is one that might sometimes be questioned, there is lots of evidence that sometimes government intervention through grant support is required.”
He argued the benefits would extend beyond BSC Filters, with universities and supply-chain businesses also potentially benefiting from the facility.
“We want this facility to magnetise companies that may not otherwise come to the UK or the North or Keighley to be attracted here because this facility is available,” he added.
Councillor Ian Eglin, Portfolio Holder for Corporate Resources, said the £4.5m would come from a Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government grant rather than Bradford Council’s own resources.
He said: “This is risk free for the Council, it is a Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government grant. It is low risk for the Council, and sometimes businesses have to take risks.”
If completed, Space Test North would represent a significant shift for a town historically associated with manufacturing and engineering – bringing that industrial heritage into one of the UK’s emerging high-tech sectors.
