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Lancashire family business marks a decade of innovation with drones

Posted on by Claire Stephenson

Specialist drone inspection service provider CJK Drones is preparing to mark a decade of using drones to improve the safety, efficiency and inspection of critical energy infrastructure. 

The family business operated by husband and wife Chris and Jessica Kitson provides expert-led aerial inspections for utilities, the construction and renewable energy sectors and bespoke projects, capturing data safely and efficiently. 

 With more than 25 years of engineering and construction experience between them, managing director Chris and operations manager Jessica provide clients with expert services in challenging and high-risk environments including high resolution aerial surveys and asset inspections, thermal imaging and 3D mapping, high-quality aerial photography and video and drone payload technology for specialist applications. 

Based at the University of Lancashire’s Altitude facility at AeroTech NW, Lancashire, the business has delivered more than 4,500 drone flights for clients in the North West of England, the UK and worldwide including Electricity North West, National Grid, SP Energy, Aberla Energy, Omexom (part of Vinci Group), the NHS and Tesco. 

One current key partnership is using drones to install hundreds of bird flight diverters manufactured by PLP, a Cleveland, Ohio-based global leader in engineered solutions for energy, communications, and other critical infrastructure, on live overhead power lines. 

PLP’s bird flight diverter made from plastic or aluminium makes overhead lines more visible to birds, helping to reduce bird collisions and protecting wildlife while reducing the risk of network faults, customer outages, emergency repairs and associated costs for Distribution Network Operators (DNOs). 

Jessica said: “As specialist drone pilots for PLP, we’re providing the operational expertise to safely install their equipment on live overhead power lines.  

“Recent media coverage of a bird strike creating a major power outage, leaving hundreds of customers in Devon without electricity is a timely reminder of the operational and financial damage caused by bird strikes and why proactive mitigation is essential.” 

John Bentley, regional managing director EMEA North PLP, said: “PLP is excited to be working with CJK Drones for the UK’s first drone installation of Raptor Clamps. The combination of CJK’s proven utilities flying expertise with the updated drone version of PLP’s proven and durable Raptor Clamp is an ideal way for utilities to protect wildlife and power assets in hard-to-reach, environmentally sensitive and boggy areas.” 

Jessica added: “We’re incredibly proud to be developing innovative drone technologies from our home at the centre of advanced engineering excellence that is Altitude while supporting some of the UK’s most critical infrastructure.  

“Our valued contracts recognise our commitment to delivering practical engineering solutions, investing in innovation and maintaining the highest standards of safety and professionalism.” 

The Altitude Facility is a nationally recognised centre for aerospace, advanced engineering and uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), uniting industry, academia and government to develop the next generation of aviation and autonomous technologies. Altitude is home to one of Europe’s largest indoor flight-testing environments for uncrewed aircraft, making it an ideal base for companies like CJK Drones developing innovative drone technologies and engineering solutions. 

Developed by the Lancashire Combined County Authority (LCCA) and championed by the Lancashire Business Board (LBB), comprising members of the county’s leading regional, national and international businesses, the Lancashire Growth Plan identifies transformational projects in five high-growth business sectors including advanced engineering and manufacturing (AEM) with the potential to attract more than £20bn of additional public and private investment.  

Together, these projects could create thousands of jobs and strengthen Lancashire’s role at the heart of the national economy. 

Prof. Miranda Barker OBE, spokesperson for Lancashire Business Board, said: “Lancashire plays a vital role in the UK economic landscape, being one of the largest and most dynamic economies in the North.  

“Home to over 55,000 businesses and supporting more than 740,000 jobs, Lancashire’s economy is powered by strengths in advanced engineering, manufacturing, nuclear energy, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and sustainable industries. 

“CJK Drones’ unwavering commitment to using innovative drone technology to protect energy infrastructure and its prestigious clients in the North West, UK and worldwide reflect the AEM sector’s resilience, innovation and global competitiveness, playing a critical role in driving productivity, exports, and sustainable growth.”  

Lancashire Growth Plan maps £20bn+ investment opportunity

Posted on by Claire Stephenson

Lancashire Combined County Authority (LCCA) has today published a Growth Plan that sets out how the county will build on its position as one of the UK’s leading economic powerhouses and deliver growth between 2025 and 2035, with a strategic focus on exploiting the potential of five high-growth business sectors around existing and proposed ‘transformational’ projects. 

Developed by the LCCA and championed by the Lancashire Business Board (LBB), the plan identifies a pipeline of major projects with the potential to attract more than £20bn of additional public and private investment. Together, these projects could create thousands of high-value jobs and strengthen Lancashire’s role at the heart of the national economy.

Following consultation with sector groups, business organisations, enterprises, local authorities, universities, colleges and MPs, the plan champions Lancashire’s interests nationally and internationally to deliver its priorities by attracting investment in innovation, infrastructure and workforce development, making the county a prime destination for global capital, venture funding, and research and development. 

Mo Isap, chair of Lancashire Business Board, comprising senior members of the county’s foremost regional, national and international firms to champion Lancashire and bring a private sector perspective to policy decisions, said:

“We brought our DNA to the development of the Lancashire Growth Plan, ensuring it builds on existing excellence in sectors while showing that we can deliver a step change in economic performance benefits not just the county, but the UK. 

“Our private sector expertise and perspective continue to inform the plan, but also strategies on transport, infrastructure, strategic development, and collaboration, detailing that Lancashire continues to be well-positioned to attract new private investment in key growth sectors.

“This prospectus showcases how Lancashire, aligned with government economic objectives, is contributing to the nation’s economic growth and that we are well positioned to play a significant role in UK plc.”

Cllr Stephen Atkinson, Chair of Lancashire Combined County Authority, said:

“This is a plan built in Lancashire, for Lancashire, but with national impact. It reflects the scale of our ambition, the strength of our business leadership, and our determination to deliver transformational projects that create opportunities across our communities and boost the UK economy.”

The vision focuses on exploiting the potential of five high-growth business sectors: National Security and Resilience, Clean Growth and a Nuclear Renaissance, Digital and Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence, and Culture and Tourism

Highlights of the Growth Plan

High-growth sectors and economic corridors

  • Growth focused on five sectors central to Lancashire’s economy and the UK’s future.
  • Development of the Central Belt (M55–M65 corridor), connecting Blackpool, Preston, Blackburn and Burnley.
  • Expansion of the North–South Cyber Corridor, linking Lancaster, Samlesbury and Manchester.
  • Investment in east–west transport to connect and strengthen clusters.

Flagship projects with investment potential:

Samlesbury Enterprise Zone and Innovation Hub – can enable transformational economic growth for all of Lancashire. Designed to support advanced engineering and manufacturing, hi-tech and research-led sectors, including cyber and robotics, the 120-acre site is primed to become a hub of world-class innovation, Industry 4.0 processes, and disruptive R&D. 

Warton Enterprise Zone (EZ), featuring the University of Lancashire’s Altitude facility – uniting industry, entrepreneurs, academic and government institutions to advance next-generation technology and skills capability in the exploitation of future aviation and space markets. The site includes the defence and technology leader BAE Systems, alongside Altitude, which pioneers a cluster of future air and space technology. 

Heysham Nuclear Power Stations – a cornerstone of Lancashire’s energy infrastructure, providing secure, low-carbon power and sustaining hundreds of skilled jobs. 

Springfields (Westinghouse UK) – manufacturing world-class nuclear fuel and related products for almost 75 years. The 80-hectare site is one of the most advanced nuclear fuel-generating facilities in the world. 

Blackburn Cyber Skills and Education Campus and Innovation Quarter – key to the delivery of a £250m investment framework for Blackburn Town Centre, the most significant development of its kind in the North West. Public investment has been secured for the first phase of the Campus, valued at £60m, including a high-quality office and teaching facility, offering up to 100,000 sq ft of new space, and a 15,000 sq ft cyber business centre. The site is the closest strategic development to the Samlesbury Enterprise Zone – making Blackburn an integral part of the Government’s North West Cyber Corridor between Lancaster and Manchester. 

Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone (EZ) and Silicon Sands – with more than 2,600 jobs achieved, and an estimated £300m of additional private sector development potential, 25 acres of newly unlocked commercial land is primed for development for commercial use at the EZ’s Eastern Gateway. The EZ includes the groundbreaking Silicon Sands project with the potential to become a Strategic AI and Sustainable Digital Infrastructure Hub for Lancashire and an AI growth zone. The EZ is on the North Atlantic Loop, a transatlantic fibre artery connecting America and Europe with the fastest speeds. 

Blackpool Central Leisure Development – the seven-hectare former Central Station site is one of Blackpool’s most strategically essential development sites, and central to the ambition of developing a unique world-class tourist destination with a vision to provide a unique leisure quarter which underpins Blackpool’s appeal as a national tourist destination. 

Morecambe Seafront and the Eden Effect – Morecambe, and the wider North Lancs area, will directly benefit from the Eden Project Morecambe. Conceived by the team behind the Eden Project in Cornwall, the 36-acre development was given the green light by the Government in March 2023, along with £50m of Levelling Up funding, to allow work to commence on the £100m project. 

Preston Station Quarter – Investment in Preston is driven by the 10-year City Investment Plan, a long-term vision to transform the city with close to £1bn already invested or committed. Preston is undergoing a dramatic transformation, capitalising on the nearby National Cyber Force HQ, to create major opportunities for commercial development and city living. The Preston Station Quarter Strategic Regeneration Framework encompasses 43 hectares of Grade A offices, high-density housing, and high-quality public realm. 

Burnley Town Centre and Canalside Masterplan – Burnley’s £200m masterplan is unlocking significant investment in education, canalside living, and digi-tech innovation, helping to transform the town into a vibrant hub for health, engineering, and AI-driven growth. 

Strategic Rail Programme – transforming east-west rail connectivity across Lancashire’s Central Belt will unlock growth in urban centres, expand labour markets, and improve access to education, employment and investment.  

Talbot Gateway Skills and Education Campus (Multiversity) – with phase 1 of the Blackpool and The Fylde College Multiversity set for completion in 2027, plans are underway for Phase 2, an ambitious expansion into the Talbot Gateway Central Business District to create a dynamic skills and education campus. 

The Plan recognises the importance of public services, civil society and health and social care, promoting inclusive employment, cultural development and community wellbeing as essential contributors to economic growth.

 The Growth Plan is now available to stakeholders, investors and government on the LCCA website. It provides a framework for Lancashire’s future development ahead of a formal launch opportunity later this year.