A new enterprise zone near Burnham-On-Sea has been given the go-ahead this week by the government which could lead to the creation of hundreds of jobs.
Huntspill Energy Park has been approved by the Chancellor in his Autumn Statement as part of a £65.2m funding deal with the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (HotSW LEP).
The Chancellor approved the partnership’s bid to establish a multi-site ‘enterprise zone’ at Huntspill Energy Park near Burnham-On-Sea to ‘kick-start growth and productivity’.
It will be a base for several of the key suppliers for Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.
Councillor David Hall, Somerset County Council’s Cabinet Member for Business, Inward Investment and Policy, said: “Enterprise Zone status will help enable the development of the Huntspill Energy Park into an important local employment site, securing supply chain investment linked to Hinkley Point C, as well as enabling business rate relief for small and medium sized enterprises.”
“This announcement is great news for the local economy in Sedgemoor and across wider parts of Somerset and the South West.”
“We’ve worked closely with Sedgemoor District Council and the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership on this bid and are delighted to hear that it has been successful.”
Huntspill Energy Park is a 90-hectare site on a former munitions facility owned by BAE Systems. The plans include reinstating a railway link into the area and also building a new access road onto the site.
The Huntspill park will supports the Hinkley supply chain, said Steve Hindley, Chair of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (HotSW LEP), who added: “We are delighted with this week’s announcement of our successful bid. It demonstrates the government’s confidence in the HotSW area and its potential for transformational growth. Our enterprise zone will benefit the whole of the Heart of the South West economy.”
Councillor Duncan McGinty, Leader of Sedgemoor District Council, said: “We are delighted that our joint bid for enterprise zone status for Huntspill Energy Park at Puriton and its partner sites within East Devon has been successful. This new status will offer renewed opportunities to unlock employment and investment on the site, and in the surrounding area, as well as to enhance our ability to attract investment linked to Hinkley and beyond.”
“We now look forward to working with Government on the detail of the bid in conjunction with our partners in Devon and the Local Enterprise Partnership.”
