Member Article

Mersey Waters Enterprise Zone helping to drive automotive industry

Enterprise Zones are pushing the UK ahead of global competitors after attracting even more overseas investment, according to Communities Secretary Eric Pickles.

Five Enterprise Zones are firmly behind innovation in the UK’s automotive industry. They are part of the Government’s Automotive Industrial Strategy which aims to secure the long term future of the sector and grow the UK’s share of it, using research and development to stay at the cutting edge of change.

The Mersey Waters Enterprise Zone is re-harnessing the River Mersey for jobs and growth.

Building on the automotive heritage of the Liverpool City Region, home to major car manufacturers such as Jaguar Land Rover and General Motors, the Enterprise Zone will support the UK’s automotive sector by locating supply chain companies in close proximity to the major car and truck manufacturers in the region.

The zone will also enhance the supply chains of other growth areas including the renewable energy sector.

Enterprise Zones are generating new long term investment, laying the foundations for future industries and helping to rebalance the economy. Since they were launched in April 2012, England’s 24 Enterprise Zones have attracted 212 businesses, secured half a billion pounds of private sector investment and created over 4600 jobs.

The Mersey Waters Enterprise Zone comprises two waterside projects on either side of the River Mersey, to make up the largest regeneration project in the UK.

The Liverpool Waters vision involves regenerating a 60-hectare dockland site to create a high quality mixed-use waterfront quarter. Wirral Waters on the Birkenhead side will include 17 million square feet of mixed-use floor space plus the largest and most sustainable trade centre in Europe.

The latest investment, which comes from Swedish company, Haldex, will be based at the MIRA Technology Park Enterprise Zone in the Midlands, signalling the ongoing resurgence of the UK automotive industry.

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles said: “We have acted fast to tackle the deficit. We are now focused on backing the industries of the future, growing the private sector and making Britain a great place to do business.

“When international companies like Haldex invest here it shows we have got our offer right. Every 20 seconds a car, van, bus or truck rolls off a UK production line and Enterprise Zones are magnets for the global motor industry with the best international businesses choosing them as their home.

“This is just the beginning - Enterprise Zones are at the heart of our long-term economic plans. They are already making a big difference, attracting increased investment to the UK - half a billion pounds so far - and creating over 4,600 jobs in just a year and a half.”

Secretary of State for Business Vince Cable said: “The British car industry is a big national success story. This year it has attracted more than £2.5 billion of investment and created 5,000 new jobs. Haldex’s decision to base its European Technical Centre at MIRA shows we are an attractive place for international companies to do business.

“The Government’s industrial strategy is clearly working and giving business the confidence to invest and create more high skilled, long term jobs in the UK. We have launched the £3 million Automotive Investment Organisation - a specialist team dedicated to winning overseas investment in the UK car industry.

“We have also committed more than £1 billion over the next 10 years to ensure the UK maintains its leading position on researching and developing greener car technology.”

Liverpool City Region LEP Chair Robert Hough welcomed today’s announcement. He said: “Automotive assembly represents a significant success story for the Liverpool City Region economy. This week one of our major plants produced its 1 millionth vehicle and the scale of that achievement owes much to sophisticated supply chains.

“This LEP has been instrumental in creating the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative helping to ensure firms such as Jaguar Land Rover and Vauxhall in this region can maintain and develop their operations.

“Sites within our Enterprise Zones and the additional incentives available to developers can turn these opportunities into new jobs and growth.”

Richard Mawdsley, Projects Director at Peel Holdings for Wirral Waters said: “The Supplier Park at West Float is designed to support the supply chains of the Automotive sector for the City Region and the North West. Peel are currently on site demolishing 15 acres of derelict and dangerous buildings.”

Leader of Wirral Council, Councillor Phil Davies said: “The development of an automotive supplier park at West Float in the Mersey Waters Enterprise Zone will provide companies with the opportunity to be located close to the many major car and truck manufacturers in the North West and will give them a real competitive advantage by being based in Wirral.

“Since Peel first announced their vision for Wirral Waters back in 2006, Wirral Council has worked in partnership with the company in the belief that it would benefit Wirral’s economy, our businesses and our people. We are gradually starting to see all of the groundwork, like dealing with the UK’s largest planning application and securing vital funds from initiatives such as the Local Infrastructure Fund starting to bear fruit.

“It is tremendous news that work is starting on the clearance of the Mobil site at West Float and I am even more pleased that it is a local company Birkenhead based Technical Demolition Services (TDS) that will be carrying out the work. I have said that 2014 will be an exciting year in the life of the Wirral Waters project but 2013 has been a pretty good one too.”

Enterprise Zones are based in Liverpool, Leicestershire, the Black Country, Sunderland and Northampton, using business incentives like global car manufacturers to boost supply chains and generate thousands of jobs.

Over 35 top automotive companies are already in the Zones including Toyota, Cosworth and Pirelli. On top of that over 15 automotive businesses have moved to or plan to move to the Zones since 2012, including Jaguar Land Rover, Bosch Engineering, Triumph, Norgren, Ashok Leyland, Lockheed Martin and Bloodhound.

The Zones are working with local areas and schools to inspire the next generation of automotive workers and will create apprenticeships to train local people. By 2020, around 200 new apprenticeships and graduate training places will be required on MIRA. There is also an employment and skills work programme to support skills for businesses locating there.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .