Go-ahead for Humber enterprise zone
A GIANT enterprise zone aimed at turning the Humber into a green energy hub has been approved by the Government.
The 375 hectare zone will be the largest in the country with the Humber Local Enterprise partnership expecting it to create almost 5,000 jobs in the next four years.
The Humber Waterside Enterprise Zone was one of 11 to be announced this morning but proposals to host one on the Scarborough Business Park have missed out on Government support.
Making the announcement, Prime Minister David Cameron said: “We are determined to do everything we can to make Britain the best place in the world to start and grow a business.
“Enterprise zones are a major step towards delivering this; cutting business taxes, easing planning restrictions and giving business the tools they need to invest and expand.
“These new Enterprise zones will be trailblazers for growth, jobs and prosperity throughout the country.”
Enterprise zones are a Government initiative designed to promote growth in the private sector by allowing local enterprise partnerships to identify locations that can benefit from advantages such as reduced business rates, a simplified planning regome and access to superfast broadband.
The Humber Waterside Enterprise Zone will focus on attracting offshore wind turbine manufacturers and will save businesses an estimated £7.9m in business rates.
It will cover the Green Port Hull and Queen Elizabeth Dock sites on the north bank and the southern part of the Able Marine Energy Park on the south bank.
John Clugston, chairman of the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The enterprise zone will play a crucial role in helping us to become the British centre for renewable energy. We already have the land, the location, the infrastructure and the skills, but the Enterprise Zone takes our offer a step further by speeding up development and adding extra financial incentives. Having these extra benefits in place will help us all to push on with signing up the top tier manufacturers for the UK against competition abroad.
“The fact that our enterprise zone has been approved at more than double the size originally suggested by the Government prospectus shows that there is faith in the level of our ambition and the capability we have to deliver on our plans. However, the enterprise zone is not the limit: it is only the beginning of what we hope to achieve. If we are successful there will be many more developments around the fringe, particularly in the supply chain and related industries, and the effect on our economy will be transformative.”
Last month Ministers approved plans for enterprise zones in Leeds and at a collection of sites linked by the M1 in South Yorkshire.
