Alliance to transform Cheshire and Staffordshire into ‘leading economic powerhouse’

A group representing councils and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) in Cheshire and Staffordshire is taking new steps to draw investors to the area.

The Constellation Partnership will showcase investment opportunities at MIPIM UK this week, ahead of submitting its HS2 Growth Strategy to the Government next month.

Presenting at the property trade show, the alliance will explain how it plans to supercharge the impact of being at the heart of the nation’s High Speed rail investment.

The Constellation group comprises seven authorities and two Local Enterprise Partnerships based between Birmingham and Manchester; Cheshire East Council, Cheshire West and Chester Council, Stafford Borough Council, Stafford Moorlands District Council, Staffordshire County Council, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and the LEPs for Cheshire & Warrington and Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire.

Constellation Partnership’s independent chair, Jackie Sadek, said: “HS2 will re-shape the economic geography of the UK and its impact on the Constellation area, will be so huge that it really will become a leading economic powerhouse in the UK.

“The depositing of the HS2 bill earlier this year has given the project real impetus and has already resulted in great interest in this area’s future, from Stafford to Crewe and everywhere in between.”

She added: “I am confident that this is going to grow rapidly and there will be a rush of potential investors following the publication of our Growth Strategy next month.”

HS2 is forecast to transform travel times from 2027, giving people across Cheshire and Staffordshire access to new job and housing markets, in addition to increasing rail capacity for local services and freight.

Jackie continued: “We are not waiting for the trains to arrive, we are getting ready now. Each of the partners is creating comprehensive investment opportunities which cannot be replicated in the confines of a city region.

“There will be a significant uplift in economic growth in a range of sectors, creating a highly skilled workforce not only in residential and commercial construction, but also in logistics and distribution, advanced manufacturing, financial and professional services, science and technology, creative and digital and automotive and aerospace.”

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