Partner Article

Alliance Boots invests £25m in Nottingham Enterprise Zone

A £25m investment has been secured by the Nottingham Enterprise Zone, in a deal with health and beauty group Alliance Boots, who operate on the high street as Boots.

The company will join D2N2 (the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Local Enterprise Partnership) and the Department of Communities and Local Government, who will invest through the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

Alliance Boots’ project will see the complete redevelopment of the enterprise zone, with improvements in infrastructure to prepare the site for commercial use.

Public infrastructure will also benefit from the £25m investment, while the local area will benefit from job creation as a result of the scheme.

Furthermore, the project leaders hope to create a stronger platform for product development in the Nottingham area, and will enable companies to innovate.

Announcing the deal, the Local Growth Minister at the Department for Communities and Local Government, Mark Prisk, commented: “I’m delighted to see the Nottingham Enterprise Zone get underway, demonstrating how the public and private sectors can work together to create a stronger future for UK business and local industry.

“The new Enterprise Zone is set to become a firm stronghold for UK PLC right in the heart of England, with the support it brings for new businesses creating jobs and boosting growth across the country.”

The Council leaders for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, Cllr John Collins and Cllr Kay Cutts, met with Peter Richardson, Chairman of D2N2 to mark the investment.

Chief executive of the Health and Beauty Division of Alliance Boots, Alex Gourlay also joined them as they unveiled the deal on Friday.

Cllr Collins said: “Regeneration, economic growth and stability are absolute priorities for Nottingham City Council and today’s news demonstrates very clearly our plans are working.

“When we launched the Nottingham Growth Plan in July, we set out a very clear direction for the economy and how it would be achieved by working closely in partnership with the public and private sector. It is this type of partnership which has brought forward this investment.”

Cllr Cutts added: “This is fantastic news for the Nottinghamshire economy and testimony should be made to the role of the D2N2 LEP Board members, to Boots and to the Government in brokering this package.

“Coupled with developments such as the dualling of the A453, I am confident the Enterprise Zone will quickly become a hot spot for investment.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .