Two expressions of interest have been put forward for sites in Blackpool to become new government Investment Zones.
Blackpool Council has submitted its proposals for Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone and the Central Blackpool area.
The government recently announced plans for the introduction of new Investment Zones across the country. The sites will be one or more specific sites where a variety of tax, regulatory innovations and flexibilities, and planning simplifications will apply within those site’s boundaries.
Following the release of the guidance an assessment was undertaken of Blackpool, on an area-by-area basis, to ascertain which parts of the town would benefit most from Investment Zone status.
Following this assessment, two sizeable areas were outlined as being potential Investment Zones:
- Central Blackpool
- Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone
The Central Blackpool area covers a substantial part of Blackpool’s inner area, from Talbot Gateway in the north to Bloomfield Road in the south, and incorporates various sites utilised for retail, office, leisure, light industry and housing. The boundary was chosen to incorporate many of the development sites either currently underway or earmarked for development in the near future within Blackpool’s central area.
The Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone area covers all of the existing Enterprise Zone site, but extends the boundaries to cover new areas to the south of the runway, to the south-east of the airport’s current extent, and to the west of the existing Enterprise Zone. The boundary is proposed in order to capitalise on the success of the existing Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone, and to extend the benefits available in the area, both in terms of geographical coverage and timeline, for businesses looking to locate and grow in Blackpool.
Cllr Lynn Williams, Leader of Blackpool Council, said: