Further to David Morris MP’s recent calls for an Enterprise Zone to be created in Morecambe and Lunesdale following the completion of the M6 Link Road project, David is today publishing the results of the consultation with the business Community.
The business respondents to the consultation were 94.6% in favour of an Enterprise zone.
The survey also highlighted that many businesses in Morecambe and Lunesdale are currently considering expansion with 41.4% of respondents saying they were considering this and 76% of these saying that they had experienced problems finding land or space to expand.
Some of the things that businesses said regarding the allocation of land were:
· Lack of land availability
· There is a shortage of Land available all around the Heysham/ Morecambe area
· Availability of Office accommodation suitable for more than 40 employees in tech is difficult to find in this area
· White Lund is full to capacity
· Lack of affordable medium sized units
The top themes for the Enterprise Zone suggested by businesses were Engineering, Manufacturing, Energy and Transport.
David Morris MP said:
‘I am delighted to have the backing of the business community for my proposal of an Enterprise Zone. The sheer number of businesses who have contacted me to say that they want to expand in the area but haven’t been able to find suitable premises, shows the real need for new commercial premises to be built and that there is a real need for development.
The business community in Morecambe and Lunesdale are ready to embrace the M6 Link road to create jobs and further prosperity and realise that a key part of that is opening up our area for more businesses to thrive and expand. I have sent a copy of the findings of this exercise to the Chairman of the Local Enterprise Partnership Edwin Booth, and I hope that now we can prove we have a business case for an application that the LEP decides to support businesses in Morecambe and Lunesdale.
I have also shared with the LEP a letter of support I have received for the project from the former Chief Minister of the Isle of Man Alan Bell, from when he was in post. The letter was received prior to his retirement from the role but I had a long conversation with the current Chief Minister Howard Quayle on Monday and he reiterated his support for the project.
If the LEP decide to back our businesses and submit an application for development to Government they will be able to prove that the LEP is truly interested in promoting business growth County wide and not just in areas in and around Preston.’