New road to boost access to Lancs Enterprise Zone
AN access road is to be built linking the Lancashire Enterprise Zone, north of Preston to the A59.
The road, part of a £11.5m investment in public infrastructure by Lancashire County Council, will also provide a link with the A677 and allow the first phase of a £50m private development close to Samlesbury to get under way.
The government has announced that more than £410m will be spent by local partners on major projects at Enterprise Zones.
The investment has been possible since the Government gave councils powers to retain all business rates growth from their Enterprise Zone and use the revenue generated to secure borrowing for infrastructure projects.
Penny Mordaunt, the minister for local growth said: “This investment will deliver world-class infrastructure that ensures Enterprise Zones continue to attract brilliant companies, creating jobs and delivering real benefits to hard-working people.”
Jennifer Mein, leader of Lancashire County Council, said: “We have been working very hard to ensure we did the right deal for the people of Lancashire. This investment will literally open up the Enterprise Zone and enable new businesses to start to move on to the site.
“This is further proof of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership’s performance and proven ability to deliver on key projects.”
Edwin Booth, chairman of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, said: “This investment is fantastic news for the Enterprise Zone and for Lancashire’s economy as a whole.
“Lancashire’s Enterprise Zone, across its sites at Samlesbury and Warton, is a long-term project that will create a world-class beacon for advanced engineering and manufacturing, building on Lancashire’s history in this field, and will bring thousands of new jobs to the area.
“We have been involved in complex negotiations with various partners to get to this point and are still on target to bring the first of these jobs to the Enterprise Zone in 2015.”
It is expected that initial works on access to the Enterprise Zone will begin in the New Year, when plans will also be discussed with the local community. We will keep local people informed about plans as the site develops.
