Humber Enterprise Zone Implementation Plan
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Paper G - Appendix 1 Humber Enterprise Zone Implementation Plan December 2016 Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................................. 2 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................. 4 Part One: The Humber Enterprise Zone ................................................................................................. 5 1. About the Humber Enterprise Zone ............................................................................................ 5 2. Strategic Context ......................................................................................................................... 5 3. Progress to Date .......................................................................................................................... 9 4. Barriers to Development ........................................................................................................... 11 Part Two: Enabling Development ......................................................................................................... 15 1. Investing in Infrastructure and Access ...................................................................................... 15 2. Funding Sources for the Investment Plan ................................................................................. 16 3. Delivering Simplified Planning Arrangements .......................................................................... 18 Part Three: Attracting Investors ............................................................................................................ 20 1. The Humber Enterprise Zone Offer .......................................................................................... 20 2. Strategic Approach to Marketing the Humber Enterprise Zone ............................................... 21 3. Humber Enterprise Zone Marketing Activity ............................................................................ 23 Part Four: Governance, Monitoring and Use of Retained Rates .......................................................... 28 1. Governance ............................................................................................................................... 28 2. Monitoring ................................................................................................................................ 28 3. Use of Business Rates Retained by Local Authorities ............................................................... 28 Appendix 1: Humber Enterprise Zone Sites and Analysis of Development Timescales ....................... 30 Appendix 2: Investment Plan ................................................................................................................ 35 Appendix 3: Summary of Humber LEP Round Three Growth Deal Enterprise Zone Proposals ............ 42 Appendix 3: Humber Enterprise Zone Progress Update and Dashboard ............................................. 50 Appendix 4: Humber Enterprise Zone Marketing Plan ......................................................................... 53 1 Paper G - Appendix 1 Foreword At 1,238 ha, Humber Enterprise Zone is the largest in the UK and covers almost all of the strategic employment sites linked to the Humber Estuary. Delivery of the Enterprise Zone programme is therefore key to delivering economic growth for the region. The measures set out in this Implementation Plan support our overarching ambition for the region, set out in The Humber Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) 2014-2020, to maximise the potential offered by the Humber Estuary, leading the Humber to become a renowned national and international centre for renewable energy and an area whose economy is resilient and competitive. This same ambition is central to the Humber’s contribution to delivering economic growth for the Northern Powerhouse and for UK Plc through the emerging Industrial Strategy. The UK has the largest market for offshore wind and the Humber, with our Enterprise Zone sites, remains the only place where the sector can cluster at big enough scale to achieve the cost savings required. The Humber Enterprise Zone programme is already making a significant contribution to boosting the Humber economy. Local authorities recognise the value of the programme in driving economic growth and social inclusion through close alignment with other economic development activity focused on attracting inward investment, supporting businesses and developing the skills of the workforce. However, there is still work to do. Weaknesses remain in our economy with comparatively low productivity and low (but improving) skills levels. Development values are low but costs are high, and as a result the market is not delivering the serviced land and premises that are needed to enable growth, despite the demand. In addition, the nature of some of our development sites means that they have high abnormal costs for infrastructure provision and/or ecological mitigation. The actions and investment detailed in this Implementation Plan aim to maximise key economic assets in the region, building on a clear commercial proposition for investment and growth in ports, logistics and renewables and supporting the region’s ambitions for economic growth and raising productivity through investment and innovation. The Humber Enterprise Zone programme seeks to overcome structural, long term barriers to development in the region through investment in access and infrastructure, implementation of simplifies planning arrangement and effective marketing of the Enterprise Zone to attract high quality investment projects. This will ensure that prospering companies and new jobs are located in the optimum location to benefit from clusters of skills in the Humber LEP Priority Sectors, and that EZ benefits are targeted effectively to create a responsive offer to market interest. 2 Paper G - Appendix 1 Our Implementation Plan has been developed in close partnership with private and public sector partners. The Humber LEP, its constituent south and north bank local authorities, and major landowners, are committed to working together strategically to get the best economic gain from the Humber Enterprise Zone. Our over-riding commitment is to work collectively to ensure that the Humber Enterprise Zone drives economic growth to the benefit of the Humber and the North. To be signed by Lord Haskins and Cllr Stephen Parnaby OBE (tbc) 3 Paper G - Appendix 1 Executive Summary The purpose of this Implementation plan is to set out clear roadmap towards delivery of the Humber Enterprise Zone, providing a clear framework for the Humber LEP and partners to: 1. Work collectively and strategically to ensure the EZ drives lasting economic growth in the Humber; 2. Accelerate the development of new employment land to maximise job creation and economic growth in line with the Humber LEP Strategic Economic Plan; 3. Improve the availability of development land and commercial premises, in particular that which supports growth in the Humber LEP Priority Sectors; 4. Attract investment to the Humber area by promoting a commercial proposition for the Humber Enterprise Zone which differentiates itself from other areas of economic opportunity. The partners for the plan are the Humber LEP, DCLG/BIS, statutory agencies, Local Authorities and landowners, developers and agents with an interest in the Humber Enterprise Zone. It is a shared plan developed in partnership between the Humber LEP and Local Authorities. The plan covers the first 5 years of the Enterprise Zone delivery period, up to March 2021. Part One of the Plan sets the Humber Enterprise Zone within its wider strategic context and summarises progress to date towards delivering the Humber EZ, as well as the major barriers to delivery. Part Two focuses on ensuring that sites are market or investment ready by removing barriers to development. The aim of the Investment Plan described in this section are to ensure an annual pipeline of serviced land supply, comprised of both small and large sites, which can create a positive offer to inward investment and regional growth opportunities alike. Part Three covers plans for marketing the Zone effectively to attract high value investors. The Plan identifies shared priorities and proposals for the promotion of EZ sites as part of a coherent package, aligning resources in order to maximise impact. Part Four sets out mechanisms for the governance of the EZ programme and for monitoring progress against the Implementation Plan, in line with the Humber LEP Assurance and Accountability Framework. Strategic management of the plan will be provided by the LEP Investment and Regulatory Board, with both public and strong private membership, and driven by the LEP Marketing Strategy Group, which engages the local authorities and works closely with the Department for International Trade. This Board will also co-ordinate the priority given to EZ investment, including Local Growth Funds to open up new sites each year, and the work of the Humber Single Conversation Group to ensure there are no barriers to sustainable development. 4 Paper G - Appendix 1 Part One: The Humber Enterprise Zone 1. About the Humber Enterprise Zone The Humber Enterprise Zone is the largest in the UK. It covers over 1,238ha spread over 49 sites. The Humber Enterprise Zone was created in three tranches. The Humber Renewable Energy