County council submits bid for Lancashire-wide investment zone

Lancashire County Council, with backing from the district councils, has submitted proposals to central government to create an investment zone which would span the length and breadth of the red rose county.

The investment zones, announced during the recent mini-budget, would offer planning flexibility and tax relief to benefit both local authorities and businesses.

Shortly after the announcement was made, it was revealed that Lancashire was one of 38 regions being considered.

Now the county council has submitted its bid for a zone that would span Lancashire using a series of interlinked ‘enterprise corridors’ and employment clusters.

The Lancashire Investment Zone would sit at the heart of the pan-Lancashire Growth Plan, named Lancashire 2050, which also includes Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool councils.

The sites and clusters are located within ‘corridors of enterprise’ that reflect Lancashire’s wider economic development programmes, key sector activities and major infrastructure priorities, with each strategic site designed to bring development forward.

The Lancashire Investment Zone proposed area would have three interlinked strategic areas:

• The North-South Enterprise Corridor would span from as far north as Heysham, through central Lancashire and down into West Lancashire.
• The East Lancashire Enterprise Corridor would cover sites from Samlesbury and across into Burnley, Hyndburn and Pendle.
• The Fylde Coast Enterprise Corridor would cover areas across the Fylde, Wyre, and Blackpool coast.

Sector specialisms will also align with wider regional and national clusters such as nuclear, cyber technology and advanced engineering and manufacturing.

County councillor Phillippa Williamson, leader of the county council and chair of Lancashire Leaders, said: "A lot has already been achieved to realise Lancashire’s potential, and we are keen to build on this, working closely with our partners to help drive forward major development sites included in our bid to government.

"There is massive potential across Lancashire and we are ready to move at pace using our existing development pipeline as well as new, ambitious opportunities including those aligned to the development of our historic new 'Lancashire 2050' strategy."