ipswich.gov.uk

Ipswich received a major economic boost with the announcement that four sites in and around the town are included in a new Enterprise Zone.

The Norfolk and Suffolk zone was announced by the Government and secured by the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership and local councils, including Ipswich Borough Council. The Borough has been working hard with its partners to get this established and were today pleased by the Government’s response.

The Enterprise Zone will help to create 18,500 jobs over the next 25 years, including 5,000 jobs by 2021.

Enterprise Zones deliver a wide range of benefits to companies including a business rate discount of up to £275,000 over five years, simplified planning and access to Super Fast broadband. More than 60 bids were submitted to Government from across England with 26 new and expanded Enterprise Zones announced as part of the Chancellor's Autumn Statement.

The sites, which will be ready for development in March 2016, are based in rural locations and smaller towns, as well as Ipswich and Norwich, to spread economic benefits across the two counties. 

The Ipswich sites, which will support the delivery of the Ipswich Vision, the blueprint for the regeneration of the town, are:

• Futura Business Park - a 10 hectare site to the east of the town to help focus on higher value and more productive sectors and prevent displacement of retail from the town centre.
• Princes Street - a 2.9 hectare office corridor which connects the railway station with the town centre and will focus on ICT, digital and professional services businesses.
• Sproughton Road – a 14-hectare former sugar beet factory site between the A14 and Sproughton Road, owned by Ipswich Borough Council and providing excellent access to the A14 and huge potential for businesses in the agri-tech, food and health sectors as well as their supply chains.
• Waterfront Island - two hectares of port land separating the Wet Dock from the tidal river with part of the Island given Enterprise Zone designation.

Councillor David Ellesmere, Leader, Ipswich Borough Council said: “This is a big vote of confidence in Ipswich as a great place to invest and do business. The announcement of new Enterprise Zones at Sproughton, Futura Park, Princes Street and the Island site will help bring millions of pounds and hundreds of new jobs to Ipswich.”

Mark Pendlington, Chairman of New Anglia LEP said: “This is fantastic news for companies locally, nationally and internationally looking to capitalise on the expertise of the East – from world-class food and health research, our thriving all-energy sector and innovation in ICT and digital - this zone will be a magnet for inward investment, help create thousands of jobs and drive our productivity.”