Marches LEP wants Hereford Enterprise Zone
THE Marches Local Enterprise Partnership is proposing a Herefordshire-based bid for Enterprise Zone status in a move which it claims could create more than 6,500 jobs.
The Marches LEP has agreed to put forward a bid focused on Rotherwas Park, a 40-hectare site earmarked for the development of private-sector employment.
The bid was agreed at a meeting of the Marches LEP Board following a report from independent consultants engaged to assess possible Enterprise Zone (EZ) sites in the region.
The report concluded the Rotherwas site, with its focus on key business sectors including defence, held the best potential for the Marches to achieve EZ status.
Marches LEP chairman Dr Geoffrey Davies said the consultants had examined submissions from partners in Telford & Wrekin, Shropshire and Herefordshire to assess which was the most likely to succeed.
He said: “An Enterprise Zone in our region will be a catalyst for creating sustainable employment and a starting point for our vision of creating the conditions for business growth across the Marches.
“Hereford is home to a world-recognised brand in the defence industry, the SAS, which has led to a growing cluster of defence-related businesses.
“We have also taken into account the key growing environmental technologies and advanced engineering sectors, as well as the benefits of the new direct road link to the A49 from Rotherwas and access to high-speed wireless broadband, when making this decision.”
The report said key strengths of the Hereford site included strong private sector support, an established infrastructure and previous significant investment to prepare the site for development.
The majority of the Rotherwas site is owned by Herefordshire County Council, with some of the land available immediately for development and all of the site available by early 2013.
Dr Davies said: “There will be disappointment that other sites in the region cannot go forward to a full application, but we have to act in the best interests of the Marches region as a whole and we believe this bid stands the greatest chance of success.”
Enterprise Zones are designed to stimulate selected areas of the country through tax breaks and simplified planning regulations. The Chancellor announced plans for 21 EZs across England in his March Budget.
The Marches LEP area contributes £10bn to the national economy, covers an area of 2,300 sq miles, has a population of 630,000 and is home to more than 28,000 businesses including Mϋller Ricoh, Bulmers / Heineken, Kerry Ingredients, Special Metals, Kingspan and Makita.
Its key centres of population and employment are the historic county towns of Hereford and Shrewsbury and the new town of Telford.
