Lancashire Growth Plan sets focus for £20bn investment
The combined authority has unveiled a prospectus highlighting its strategic focuses and key opportunities, such as Blackpool Central, Eden Project Morecambe, and Heysham’s nuclear power facilities – where it hopes to channel inward private and public sector investment to the region.
Developed by Lancashire Combined County Authority with the Lancashire Business Board, the growth plan has identified five high-growth sectors that businesses in the region could exploit.
- National security and resilience
- Clean growth and a nuclear renaissance
- Digital and artificial intelligence
- Advanced engineering and manufacturing excellence
- Culture and tourism
To maximise the output of these sectors, a range of major projects within the county have been identified as ‘flagships’, ones with significant investment potential and that meet the criteria of the five sectors the LCCA wishes to target.
Samlesbury Enterprise Zone and Innovation Hub
Considered a site of national significance, the £13m employment hub is designed to support advanced engineering and manufacturing, hi-tech and research-led sectors, and specialist cyber and robotics facilities.
The 20,000 sq ft facility is set to host the National Cyber Force and will be closely tied to BAE Systems, which also has a presence at Samlesbury.
Warton Enterprise Zone
A key feature of the Warton employment site is the University of Lancashire’s Altitude facility.
The Altitude facility features one of Europe’s largest indoor netted environments for Unmanned Aerial System design and testing.
Again, the site has close ties to BAE Systems nearby. The growth plan notes the leveraging of skills and partnerships as a key aspect of its investment plan.
Heysham Nuclear Power Stations
The prospectus highlights the critical role of nuclear power in Lancashire’s economic and energy supply.
EDF Energy, the owner of Heysham Nuclear Power Stations, has extended the operational lifespan of Heysham 1 until 2027 and Heysham 2 until 2030.
Whitehall has identified Heysham as a potential site for future nuclear power stations, but before any can come to fruition, further inspections and regulatory approvals will be required.
However, the prospectus clearly notes both LCCA and the government’s commitment to continue producing energy at Heysham, providing stability for any future investment.
In addition, Westinghouse’s Springfields, a world-leader in nuclear fuel production, will continue to run its Oxide Fuels Complex, the only such facility in the country.
According to the prospectus, Springfields produces around 32% of all the low-carbon electricity generated in the UK.
The Blackburn campus is expected to create 1,200 jobs, 400 homes, and bring in £1bn of economic activity to the area. Credit: Maple Grove
Blackburn Cyber Skills and Education Campus
As part of the £250m investment framework for Blackburn Town Centre, the £45m education campus will offer up to 100,000 sq ft of education space and a 15,000 sq ft cyber business hub.
Centred on the site of the former Thwaites Brewery, the location is close to Samlesbury Enterprise Zone and is expected to strategically benefit from its proximity, tying Blackburn into the North West Cyber Corridor between Lancaster and Manchester.
A further education campus at Talbot Gateway is also being built and is expected to complete by 2027. Planning for the second phase of the project is also now underway.
Morgan Sindall is constructing the first phase of the £65m Multiversity, which is expected to accommodate up to 3,000 students.
Silicon Sands in Blackpool is one of several emerging data centre schemes in the North. Credit: via Blackpool Council
Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone and Silicon Sands
Strategically positioned where the North Atlantic fibre loop, a major transatlantic fibre artery connecting the US and Europe, makes land, Blackpool Airport EZ and Silicon Sands could become key data centre, AI, and innovation hubs of both national and international significance.
The two projects could open up the door for more than £300m of private sector investment, according to the Lancashire Growth Plan.
The EZ and Silicon Sands will capitalise on over 3GW of offshore wind power currently in development in the Irish Sea, set to come ashore at the EZ.
BDP led the team that drew up the framework for the Preston Station Quarter. Credit: via Preston City Council
Town centre regeneration
Closely linked to tourism, various Lancashire towns are undergoing transformations in order to boost footfall, investment, and visitors.
Blackpool Central, a long-stalled, 17-acre leisure-led development on the Golden Mile, is soon to appoint a contractor who will bring forward the £300m project.
A 1,300-capacity car park has already been delivered on the site, and demolition work is now rounding off.
Leisure proposals for Blackpool Central comprise a 127,000 sq ft flying theatre, two indoor theme parks, a 200-bedroom hotel, a 70,000 sq ft public square, and a wide F&B offer.
Morecambe’s landmark Eden Project is also expected to raise Lancashire’s visitor numbers – initial site investigation works by LK Group have begun, but the project’s leaders cannot yet confirm whether a principal contractor has been lined up to build the now £125m Eden Project.
Preston’s investment drive centres around its 10-year City Investment Plan, which has already seen close to £1bn of investment.
The Preston Station Quarter Strategic Regeneration Framework encompasses 106 acres of Grade A offices, high-density housing, and public realm improvements.
By creating a commercial district by Preston Station, the LCCA hopes to establish a gateway to Lancashire, to be followed by improvements to east-west connectivity across the regional railway network, known as the Strategic Rail Programme, which looks to enhance what the prospectus calls the ‘public transport spine’ of Lancashire’s regional east-to-west belt.
Higher train capacity and increased services are the cornerstones of this programme, with future investment in partnership with Great British Railways set to be ironed out.
Finally, the Burnley Town Centre and Canalside masterplan is a £200m investment to improve the town, which hopes to sell its canal-side living offer and connections to the University of Lancashire and East Lancashire Hospitals.
The appointment of a contractor for Blackpool Central is expected to be announced in the coming months. Credit: via Font Comms
Cllr Stephen Atkinson, Chair of LCCA, said: “This is a plan built in Lancashire, but with national impact.
“It reflects the scale of our ambition, the strength of our business leadership, and our determination to deliver transformational projects that create opportunities across our communities.”
Mo Isap, Chair of the LBB, added: “We brought our DNA to the development of the Lancashire Growth Plan, ensuring it builds on existing excellence in sectors while showing that we can deliver a step change in economic performance, benefiting not just the county, but the UK.
“Our private sector expertise and perspective continue to inform the plan, but also strategies on transport, infrastructure, strategic development, and collaboration, detailing that Lancashire continues to be well-positioned to attract new private investment in key growth sectors.
“This prospectus showcases how Lancashire, aligned with government economic objectives, is contributing to the nation’s economic growth and that we are well positioned to play a significant role in UK plc.”
More ambitious and of scale than anything coming out of the Liverpool City Region. Quite telling.
By Anonymous
I think the arrangement of authorities in Lancashire is emblematic of the mess of English local government. The similarity in naming of Lancashire County Council (LCC) and Lancashire County Combined Authority (LCCA) is so needlessly confusing – really they should be the same body but LCCA includes several unitary authorities that aren’t part of the two-tier LCC.
By Anonymous