April start for Warton’s 185-acre enterprise zone
News article
Hopes rise for economy
Warton’s new Enterprise Zone will open for business in April after councillors ordered work to start on preparing a Local Development Order (LDO).
The 185-acre zone, on the BAE site and land adjoining the BAE site, will operate alongside a new 180-acre zone at BAE in Samlesbury.
It is estimated that about 1,200 high-value jobs will be created on the combined zone, with the expectation that approximately 20 companies will be established in the zone by 2015.
Fylde Council’s cabinet heard on Wednesday 18 January that firms will benefit from a Business Rate discount, a simplified planning regime through the LDO, tax incentives and a commitment of Whitehall support to ensure the zone’s long-term viability.
Councillor Trevor Fiddler, Fylde Council cabinet member for Planning and Development, said: “The sooner that this comes the better for Fylde.
“One of the council’s corporate objectives is to promote a thriving economy. It is vital that we get the initial LDO covering the first phase of development in place for April so that companies won’t be delayed any more than is necessary in getting planning permission.
“The timescale is very tight so we will be working with Lancashire County Council planners who already have expertise in this area.
“The aim of the zone is to encourage entrepreneurs and that means tax advantages and a minimum of red tape. We are determined to back their efforts to create jobs.”
Eleven Enterprise Zones are being created nationwide. Work on the Warton/Samlesbury zone is being led by Lancashire Enterprise Partnership of which Fylde Council and Lancashire County Council are constituent parts.
One problem of similar zones in the 1980s was that some companies merely shifted existing jobs into the zones to gain the tax benefits – meaning that jobs were gained in the zones at the expense of jobs being lost elsewhere.
Companies wanting to trade from the new zones will have to show they are “growing” new jobs, rather than displacing existing jobs, before they are accepted into the new zone.
A further advantage of the new scheme is that future increases in Business Rates will be retained and ringfenced to support future economic growth locally. The traditional Business Rate regime has involved handing Business Rate growth to Whitehall which has often redistributed the money to other areas.
Councillor Fiddler added: “Consultation will take place in February with local residents and groups affected by the initial LDO to ensure they have their say on the draft proposals. We have to get this right for everyone concerned.”
Comments
Comments posted by the website's visitors are independent of the editorial materials and do not represent the views of Fylde Council.
