Enterprise Zones – where are we?
This post will clarify the current enterprise zone situation.
View this useful map showing local enterprise partnerships and enterprise zones http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/1968608.pdf
As part of the Budget 2011 the Government announced its intention to establish 21 Enterprise Zones in England. Eleven local enterprise partnerships were invited to come forward with proposals for Enterprise Zones. All of the first round locations have been confirmed.
| Local enterprise partnership | Enterprise Zone |
| Black Country | Black Country Enterprise Zone - led by Local Enterprise Partnership proposes: • Size: two sites covering 120 hectares; one site 'i54' falls across the boundary between the Black Country lep area and the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire lep area. The two partnerships have agreed to share the costs and proceeds of developing the site. • Sector focus: advanced manufacturing including aerospace, automotive and engineering and environmental technologies; • Tax break: Save business money in forgone business rates; • Job creation: Local Enterprise Partnership estimates that 3,843 net jobs will be created by 2015; • Floorspace: total developable floor space over £500,000 square metres; • Planning: Simplified regime to provide certainty for business wanting to build. |
| Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire | Nottingham (Boots Campus) |
| Greater Birmingham and Solihull | Birmingham (Birmingham City Centre) |
| Greater Manchester | Manchester (Airport) |
| Leeds City Region | Leeds (Lower Aire Valley) |
| Liverpool City Region | Liverpool (Mersey Waters) |
| London | London (Royal Docks) |
| North Eastern | North Eastern Enterprise Zone - led by the Local Enterprise Partnership proposes: • Size: two sites covering 117 hectares; • Sector focus: low carbon; • Tax break: save business money in forgone business rates; • Job creation: Local Enterprise Partnership estimates nearly 1,000 jobs will be created by 2015; • Floorspace: total developable floor space nearly 500,000 square metres; • Planning: Simplified regime to provide certainty for business wanting to build. |
| Sheffield City Region | Sheffield (The Modern Manufacturing and Technology Growth Area) |
| Tees Valley | Tees Valley Enterprise Zone - led by the Local Enterprise Partnership proposes a number of sites across Tees Valley. • Sector focus: petrochemicals and renewable energy, primarily spread on both banks of Tees estuary; • Tax break: save business money in forgone business rates and capital allowances; • Job creation: support the creation of 137 new businesses and over 2,624 jobs, business rate relief sites to be funded locally, will further support the creation of 29 businesses and 360 jobs. This gives a total number of 166 businesses and almost 3,000 jobs by 2015; • Planning: simplified regime to provide certainty for business wanting to build. |
| West of England | Bristol (Temple Quarter) |
For the second wave of Enterprise Zones, LEPs were asked to come forward with bids – with the presumption being that only one designation will be made per partnership. Bids were selected from the thirty bids received.
The full list of bids received is:
| Local Enterprise Partnership | Enterprise Zone Proposal |
| Cheshire and Warrington | Omega - an outstanding business location for Cheshire and Warrington |
| Coast to Capital | Enterprise@BognorRegis |
| Cornwall & Isle of Scilly | Newquay AeroHub Enterprise Zone |
| Coventry & Warwickshire | Coventry & Warwickshire Gateway |
| Cumbria | Fuelling the Future - Cumbria Enterprise Zone |
| Derby Derbyshire Nottingham Nottinghamshire | Markham Vale Growth Zone |
| East Sussex, Essex, Kent, Medway, Southend and Thurrock | Discovery Park, Sandwich, Kent |
| East Sussex, Essex, Kent | Enterprise West Essex @ Harlow |
| Enterprise M3 | Enterprise Zone M3 |
| GFirst Local Enterprise Partnership | Gloucestershire Enterprise Zone |
| Greater Birmingham and Solihull | Greater Birmingham and Solihull Enterprise Belt |
| Greater Cambridge and Greater Peterborough | Alconbury Business Campus |
| Greater Lincolnshire | South Humber Bank Gateway Enterprise Zone |
| Heart of the South West | Energised, Advanced, Inspired: Plymouth's Enterprise Zone for the Heart of the South West |
| Heart of the South West | Heart of the South West Low Carbon Energy Enterprise Zone |
| Hertfordshire | Hertfordshire Enterprise Zone @ Maylands |
| Humber | Humber Renewable Energy Super Cluster |
| Lancashire | The Lancashire AEM (Advanced Engineering & Manufacturing) Enterprise Zone |
| Leicester and Leicestershire | MIRA Technology Park |
| London | Upper Lee Valley |
| London | Croydon |
| Marches | Marches Enterprise Zone |
| New Anglia | Energy for New Anglia |
| Oxfordshire | Science Vale UK Gateway Zone |
| Solent | The Solent Enterprise Zone at Daedalus |
| South East Midlands | Northampton Waterside |
| Stoke and Staffordshire | North Staffordshire Enterprise Zone |
| Worcestershire | South Kidderminster Advanced Manufacturing and Business Park |
| York and North Yorkshire | The Yorkshire Coast Enterprise Zone |
(You will note that this is only 29 bids, I have been unable to locate the 30th)
On 16th August the second round of Enterprise zones were confirmed. We were expecting only 10 but 11 were approved. There are now 22 Enterprise Zones.
The confirmed second round of Enterprise Zones are:Daresbury Science Campus in Warrington.
Newquay AeroHub in Cornwall
The Solent Enterprise Zone at Daedalus Airfield in Gosport
Rotherwas Enterprise Zone in Hereford;
Discovery Park in Sandwich, Kent
Enterprise West Essex in Harlow
Science Vale UK in Oxfordshire
Alconbury Airfield in Cambridgeshire
Great Yarmouth in Norfolk
Lowestoft in Suffolk;
Northampton Waterside
MIRA Technology Park in Hinckley Leicestershire
Humber Estuary Renewable Energy Super Cluster
More details below:
Rotherwas Enterprise Zone - in Hereford led by the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership proposes:
• Size: three sites covering 61.5 hectares;
• Sector focus: defence, advanced engineering, green technologies and food processing;
• Tax break: Save business £4 million in forgone business rates;
• Job creation: Local Enterprise Partnership estimates at least 55 businesses and 1,800 jobs will be created by 2015;
• Planning: Simplified regime to provide certainty for business wanting to build;
• Broadband: Wireless service 20MB line speeds but can deliver 100MB speeds. A fibre optic option available through the Hereford BDUK Superfast Broadband project (up to 100MB) by 2013;
• Investment: Expecting at least £90m from the private sector by 2015.
Northampton Waterside Enterprise Zone - led by the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership proposes:
• Size: 120 hectares;
• Sector focus: advanced technologies, precision engineering, low carbon technology, sustainable construction, and high performance engineering, supported by related professional, financial, leisure and business services;
• Tax break: Save businesses £19.9 million in forgone business rates;
• Job creation: Local Enterprise Partnership estimates 390 new businesses and 12,400 new jobs by 2015;
• Broadband: Exploring delivery of superfast broadband with suppliers;
• Investment: Anticipate over £200m from private sector.
Newquay Aerohub Zone – led by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership proposes:
• Size: 1 site covering 55 hectares;
• Sector focus: aerospace;
• Tax breaks: Save businesses £2.4million in forgone business rates;
• Job creation: 1,100 new jobs by 2015;
• Planning: Simplified regime; opening up the site for aviation development on the aerodrome and for the business park; and aviation related business development;
• Broadband: Access to Superfast Cornwall broadband £132m project is up and running.
Alconbury Airfield Zone - near Huntington, led by the Greater Cambridge and Greater Peterborough Local Enterprise Partnership proposes:
• Size: 150 hectares;
• Sector focus: ICT, biotech, pharmaceutical, advanced manufacturing, creative industries, engineering and processing;
• Tax breaks: Save businesses £5.9 - £6.3 million in forgone business rates;
• Job creation: Local Enterprise Partnership estimates 25-40 new businesses and 1,500 jobs by 2015;
• Planning: Simplified regime permitting the change of use of existing buildings and building new ones;
• Investment: Looking to attract international investment with UKTI support.
Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft Enterprise Zone – led by the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership proposes:
• Size: Six sites covering 121 hectares - close to the ports - South Denes, Beacon Park, Ellough Industrial Estate, South Lowestoft Industrial Estate, Mobbs Way and Riverside Road;
• Sector focus: energy sector (including offshore wind) and broader focus on ports, logistics, construction and engineering;
• Tax breaks: Save businesses £3.8 million in forgone business rates;
• Job creation: Local Enterprise Partnership estimates 80 businesses and 1,380 jobs by 2015;
• Planning: Existing simplified regime for all development relating to the energy cluster;
• Broadband: Norfolk just gained BDUK funding to improve broadband and has bid for £1m of ERDF funding to significantly improve coverage.
Daresbury Science and Innovation Zone - in North Warrington, led by Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnerships proposes:
• Size: 28 hectares;
• Sector focus: science and technology.
• Tax break: Save businesses £3.1 million in forgone business rates.
• Job creation: Local Enterprise Partnership estimates that 1000 new jobs and at least 32 businesses could be created by 2015;
• Planning: Simplified planning regime on course;
• Broadband: Access to a high speed 100 mb/s internet connection scaleable to demand. Academic partners on site are able to utilise the very high speed Superjanet Network.
• Investment: Seeks to attract significant numbers of high quality inward investment projects.
Humber Waterside Enterprise Zone - in Kingston upon Hull, led by Humber Local Enterprise Partnership proposes:
• Size: 375 hectare site;
• Sector Focus: offshore wind Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and supply chain;
• Tax breaks: Save businesses £7.9 million in forgone business rates;
• Job creation: Local Enterprise Partnership estimates that 4,850 jobs could be created by 2015;
• Planning: Simplified regime with a presumption - removing the need for specific planning permission with a single Local Development Order.
Discovery Park in Sandwich and West Essex Enterprise Zone in Harlow– led by the Kent, Essex and East Sussex local enterprise partnership proposes:
• Size: Sandwich site will be 99.4ha; Harlow site will be 51ha;
• Sector Focus: Sandwich will focus on life sciences, pharmaceutical, bio-technology and broader R&D (including chemicals, food and renewable energy). Harlow will focus medical technologies and advanced manufacturing;
• Tax breaks: Sandwich will save business £21.4 million.
• Job creation: Local Enterprise Partnership estimates that Sandwich will create 2400 jobs and 190 businesses and Harlow will create 100 businesses 2,200 – 2,570 jobs by 2015;
• Planning: simplified regime will cover change of uses without the need for planning permission to be sought. Harlow will facilitate those businesses in the health and allied industries and advanced manufacturing sectors;
• Broadband: There are excellent data (broadband) connections at Sandwich.
Science Vale Enterprise Zone – led by the Oxfordshire local enterprise partnership proposes:
• Size: 2 sites covering 92 hectares;
• Sector Focus: green technology, advanced materials and engineering, space and other high value R&D (e.g. medical technologies, bio-technologies and cryogenics);
• Tax breaks: Save business £29.8 million in forgone Business Rates;
• Job creation: Local Enterprise Partnership estimates 200 businesses and between 6,250 - 10,500 jobs by April 2015.
MIRA Technology Park in Hinckley – led by the Leicester and Leicestershire local enterprise partnership proposes:
• Size: one site covering 87.5 hectares;
• Sector Focus: R&D, including automotive, aerospace, transport, defence and manufacturing;
• Tax breaks: Save business £800,000 - £1.9 million in forgone business rates;
• Job creation: Local Enterprise Partnership estimates 12 businesses and 800 jobs by 2015;
• Broadband: plans for superfast roll out;
• Investment: UKTI have expressed their willingness to support international marketing effort. Local Enterprise Partnership have also bid for regional growth funding.
The Solent Enterprise Zone at Daedalus Airfield in Gosport – led by the Solent local enterprise partnership proposes:
• Size: one site covering 82 hectares;
• Sector Focus: R&D, including automotive, aerospace, transport, defence and manufacturing;
• Tax breaks: Save business £2.7 million in forgone business rates;
• Job creation: Local Enterprise Partnership estimates 38 – 45 businesses and 650 jobs by April 2015.
• Planning: is a master planned site and the current planning applications are intended to provide outline planning consents for development over the long term;
• Broadband: Discussions are ongoing about best broadband provision;
• Investment: UKTI have expressed their willingness to support international marketing effort. Local Enterprise Partnership have also bid for regional growth funding.
