29.01.14
12 new enterprise zones shortlisted
Local industry and businesses could benefit from £415m funding, the government has announced.
£100m of this will support business infrastructure in enterprise zones, with 12 areas shortlisted to boost the economy and create local jobs.
The twelve shortlisted zones are: Harlow, Humber, Leeds, Sheffield, Discovery Park in Kent, Oxford, Daresbury, Alconbury, London’s Royal Docks, the Black Country, Nottingham and the Solent.
The funding will cover road building, refurbishment, utility supply and land clearance to help bring 3.5m square metres of land back into use.
Universities in Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield can also apply to establish new university enterprise zones with £15m funding.
Additionally, 300,000 small retail firms will be given a £1,000 discount on their business tax, funded with £300m by the DCLG. Guidance for councils on how this discount applies is available here.
Communities secretary Eric Pickles said: “As part of our long term economic plan, we are backing business and enterprise right across the country, helping town centres and local industries to prosper, and building a stronger economy.
“This money for infrastructure will transform acres of enterprise zone land and build a stronger, more competitive business environment that will create up to 3,000 jobs for hardworking people across the country.
“While our fully-funded £1,000 retail discount will make a huge difference to 300,000 of the essential small shops and local traders we find in our town centres across the country.”
The 12 zones have been shortlisted to receive:
Harlow Enterprise Zone: up to £11.21m to build 1.2 kilometres of new roads and transform vacant land so it is ready for private sector development in 2015. By 2025, the ambition is to deliver 45,000 square metres of new floorspace and 2,300 new jobs in advanced manufacturing, technology and pharmaceuticals.
Humber Enterprise Zone: up to £14.94m to speed up delivery of key infrastructure at Able Marine Energy Park, subject to planning permission. The Humber Energy Estuary is set to become the centre of the global offshore wind industry. The zone will now be able to create a ‘renewable energy super cluster’. By 2020, 1,300 metres of quays and 4,100 new jobs should have been created, marking the start of work on a £440m development project.
Aire Valley Leeds Enterprise Zone: £8.57m for remediation and infrastructure work, opening up key sites to attract advanced manufacturing and logistics companies, creating 630 new jobs and delivering over 33,000 square metres of new commercial floorspace in the long term.
Sheffield City Region Enterprise Zone: up to £14.2m for Markham Vale, a leading logistics and distribution park off the M1. In the long term, the grant will generate a further £95.7m of private sector investment, create 2,100 jobs and build new access roads, 180,000 square feet of commercial floorspace and unlock a further 33 hectares of land for development.
Science Vale, Oxford: up to £7m to build a 40,000 square feet of highly specialised laboratory and bioscience innovation hub that will create 370 new jobs.
Sci-Tech Daresbury Enterprise Zone: up to £3.58m enabling the build of the new Techspace building. This could double the amount of building space available on the site and ensure it can provide the infrastructure small to medium sized data-intensive companies need.
Alconbury Enterprise Zone: up to £5m for landscaping, demolition, infrastructure, and utility works. These vital improvements will lay the groundwork for high-quality office developments, expected to employ up to 600 people by 2016.
London’s Royal Docks Enterprise Zone: up to £12m to kick-start 2 world class infrastructure developments. A ground breaking design for a new bridge at Silvertown will link the north and south sides of the docks. The Millennium Mills development will transform an iconic but dilapidated industrial building - stripping out asbestos and making vital structural renovations turning it into an attractive modern work space.
The Black Country Enterprise Zone: up to £6.25m to develop 11 hectares of land at the i54 site. This will include road improvements and abnormal works to bring forward the availability of the remaining development plots to occupiers.
The Nottingham Enterprise Zone: up to £5.5m to unlock the MediPark health science site by decontaminating land, building an access road, enhancing flood protection, and building a new pedestrian footbridge, When complete, the 20,500 square metres project will employ up to 900 people, and develop the next generation of medical innovation.
The Solent Enterprise Zone at Daedalus: up to £7.09m to unlock the Waterfront’s full potential by constructing over 1 kilometre of new road and remediating contaminated land.
Discovery Park, Sandwich: up to £6.05m for the refurbishment and fitting out of three vacant buildings (or parts of buildings) for employment use.
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