Transport improvements will drive growth says LEP chair

IMPROVEMENTS to transport infrastructure in Warwickshire will play a vital role in helping to secure opportunities for growth, the chairman of the area’s Local Enterprise Partnership has said.

Denys Shortt said the decision by Warwickshire County Council to pledge an additional £2m towards an upgraded rail link between Nuneaton and Coventry was welcome news for the economy.

He also endorsed the award of the final £1.868m required to deliver the Stratford Local Sustainable Transport project, which includes a Stratford Parkway rail station.

Both schemes could be delivered by the end of 2013.

Mr Shortt said: “Transport is one of the major barriers to growth. There is a lack of transport links from the north of the county to the south and that hampers people who want to access jobs and employers who want to fill vacancies.

“The improvement of the Nuneaton to Coventry line is the first phase of the NUCKLE initiative which hopefully will later see a link to a new station at Kenilworth and then on to Leamington.”

He said many Stratford businesses, including his own logistics firm, would find a parkway station very useful and would vastly improve rail services.

Potential time-savings to business are estimated at up to £12m.

“That does not take into account the benefits to the overall economy which will be brought by attracting more visitors,” he added.