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Additional Enterprise Zones announced

17 August 2011

Government has today announced the following new enterprise zones, in addition to those already named in the March 2011 budget in Leeds, Sheffield, Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Derby, Nottingham, the Black Country, the Tees Valley, the West of England and the North East.

The newly announced zones are:

  • Daresbury Science Campus, Runcorn
  • Newquay AeroHub, Cornwall
  • The Solent Enterprise Zone, Daedalus Airfield in Gosport
  • Rotherwas Enterprise Zone, Hereford;
  • Discovery Park in Sandwich, Kent
  • Enterprise West Essex, Harlow
  • Science Vale UK, Oxfordshire
  • Alconbury Airfield, Cambridgeshire
  • Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
  • Lowestoft, Suffolk;
  • Northampton Waterside
  • MIRA Technology Park, Hinckley Leicestershire
  • Humber Estuary Renewable Energy Super Cluster

Government ministers have advised that up to 30,000 new jobs could be created by 2015, encouraging new businesses in these areas with incentives which include dramatically reduced business rates, super-fast broadband and lower levels of planning control.

The scheme has also attracted criticism, with sceptics arguing that jobs will simply be displaced from other areas which do not enjoy these benefits.

Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles said the government hoped to achieve a "rebalance of the economy from public sector jobs" and a reduction of the "dependency on financial industries". He commented: "Our low-tax, low-regulation Enterprise Zones will help make our country the best place in Europe to start and grow a business."

Contact Ruddle Merz today for advice on how the new enterprise zones could affect your business rates liability.

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