Local Enterprise Partnership meeting

The Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership has chosen a planned development near Coventry Airport and the Tollbar A45 junction as an Enterprise Zone for the area.

The LEP has until the end of June to table its nomination for a zone to the Government, and selected the newly-named Coventry and Warwickshire Gateway Enterprise Zone at a board meeting today.

Enterprise Zones will seek to boost development and economic growth through tax breaks, reduced planning restrictions and other inward investment advantages such as super fast broad band.

Three sites across the area were considered by the LEP board but it was the expansion programme around the airport along with plans to create up to 10,000 jobs with the development of land to the north and south as well as work to the troublesome Tollbar A45 junction which won the nomination.

Denys Shortt, chair of the LEP, said the plans for the Gateway married very well with the Government's vision, “We believe this is a real opportunity for Coventry and Warwickshire and Government's announcement of Enterprise Zones has come at a perfect time.

“The site is very well positioned, there is clear potential and we are excited by the plans that have been drawn up. Not only will they create economic growth, the scheme will give far greater linkage with the planned development of Jaguar Landrover's Whitley site and also help solve what is a major traffic issue. We are working closely with Warwick District Council and other parties before submitting our bid towards the end of the month."

A specially formed LEP group will work on finalising the bid and that will include Warwick District Council as the planning authority, Coventry City Council as a landowner, Warwickshire County Council as the highway authority and possibly Rugby Borough Council if the plans tie in with developments at the former Ryton Peugeot plant.

Shortt added: “We feel this is such a superb opportunity for long-term, sustainable development and all parties will be pulling hard in the right direction to make it happen. We do not have a great deal of time but if there is one thing that has characterised the LEP to date, it is the willingness to co-operate for the wider good of Coventry and Warwickshire.

“The airport plans, alongside the Regional Growth Fund bids endorsed by the LEP, are important pieces in our overall jigsaw of funding our incredibly exciting plans for bringing jobs and prosperity into the sub region. Our LEP has been recognised nationally as leading the way and so the success of our Enterprise Zone application would be a further signal of our intent to make a big and lasting difference."