Mersey Waters and Manchester Airport named as Enterprise Zones

THE MERSEY Waters projects and Manchester Airport have been named as the region’s first new-generation Enterprise Zones.

Companies investing in the Enterprise Zones – there will eventually be 21 nationwide – will benefit from business rate discounts worth up to £275,000 per eligible business over a five year period; Government help to simplify planning laws and access to superfast broadband.

Sir Howard Bernstein, chief executive of Manchester City Council heralded the announcement as a ‘fantastic opportunity’ for the city-region. He said that the zone at Manchester Airport would allow for the creation of the proposed 60-hectare Airport City scheme that will target inward investment.

“One of the world’s biggest hub airports demands a critical mass of commercial, industrial and freight-based development,” he told TheBusinessDesk.com.

He said the council and Manchester Airport had been working on the Airport City development – which will be at the heart of the new Enterprise Zone  – for several years and had studied similar economic zones around airports in Amsterdam and some of the other major European airports.

He described the new airport as “a major opportunity that will be attractive to global occupiers who I believe would otherwise not choose to locate either in this region or perhaps this country”.

Charlie Cornish, chief executive of Manchester Airport Group said that Airport City has the capacity to create 10,000 jobs over the next 15 years, and will include 3 million square feet of office space, high-end manufacturing and hotels.

“The Enterprise Zone is another catalyst in terms of our development of Airport City,” he said.

On Merseyside, the Enterprise Zone will be created around Peel Group’s proposed 17m sq ft Wirral Waters and 14m sq ft Liverpool Waters developments.

Liverpool city-region cabinet chair, Cllr Joe Anderson, said: “I am pleased that we have been chosen as one of the first Enterprise Zones.

“We are keen to work with government to make sure the benefits are shared across the whole of the city-region, and help attract much needed investment and jobs to the entire area.

“The city-region has big ambitions and a clear strategy to grow the economy and increase private sector jobs and investment which have clearly caught the attention of the government. Just last week Business Minister Mark Prisk told me how impressed he is by what we have to offer.”

Wirral Borough Council Leader Cllr Jeff Green said the announcement represented “
the culmination of discussions that I began in January with the Prime Minister and hard work carried out by Wirral, Peel Holdings and Liverpool City Council”.

“Wirral Waters is already an attractive investment opportunity but its designation as an Enterprise Zone will allow us to offer tax incentives which will give businesses locating on the site a great head start.”

Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles said: “Growth is this Government’s number one priority and a new generation of Enterprise Zones are central to our strategy. 

“Local enterprise partnerships can use these zones as a springboard for private sector growth and wider regeneration.

“It’s great news that the locations for Enterprise Zones can be announced in London, Liverpool, Manchester and Nottingham today.

“Enterprise Zones are unashamedly pro-growth, with lower taxes and reduced regulations to attract business, but they are also unashamedly localist keeping power and profits within the local area so communities benefit.”

For more on the Enterprise Zones in Liverpool and Manchester click the links.