Developer submits North-West-wide LEP bid

Developer Peel Holdings has independently submitted a bid to ministers to create a local enterprise partnership in the North-West. This is despite the fact that the Government has stipulated that the new economic development bodies should be public-private partnerships.

In a statement, the Peel Group said it has based its submission to the Department of Communities and Local Government on the existing Atlantic Gateway framework, which aims to boost the economic potential of a region spanning from Merseyside to north Cheshire, Chester, Halton, Warrington and into Greater Manchester, as well as creating 400,000 new homes and 250,000 jobs by 2030.

All bids for the creation of LEPs, the local authority-business bodies with which the coalition intends to replace regional development agencies, must be submitted by Monday 6th September 2010.
 

But it is as yet unclear which local authorities, if any, the developer intends to partner with.

Peter Smith, the leader of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (Agma) and Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council, told Regeneration & Renewal that the Peel LEP bid was "a total surprise" and that Agma had received no approach from Peel in submitting a joint bid.

"The bid concerns me on two levels", Smith said. "First, that they thought it was not worthwhile talking to local authorities [in the Atlantic Gateway economic zone]; second, what will they do [through a region-wide LEP] that couldn’t be achieved through an area-based LEP [covering a smaller area]?"

Smith confirmed that AGMA and its partners were in the final stages of putting together a proposal to form a LEP for the Manchester city-region. The partnership would focus on improving skills and employment levels, enhancing business growth and managing the transition to a low carbon economy.

A spokesman for Liverpool City Council also said that the local authority had not been aware that Peel was submitting a LEP bid. He said that Liverpool's own proposal would include the Atlantic Gateway scheme and that the authority had been in talks with Peel over its own bid.

The statement from Peel said: "In order to deliver the full employment and regenerative value of these projects, they need the support of a broad regeneration policy. As this no longer exists with the abolition of the regional strategy, it is therefore very important that the Atlantic Gateway concept is adopted and considered nationally as a key policy to address economic growth outside of the South-East."

It added: "A substantial cross-boundary economic policy is required to help encourage new business investment in the North from international investors as well as indigenous investors such as the Peel Group."

Peel’s submission says that a "specialist" LEP driven by the private sector could deliver £75 billion in net additional GVA.

The Peel submission also includes plans for "a one per cent levy on Atlantic Gateway developments intended to help finance a community environment fund that would support locally based environmental projects."

Peel said it is looking forward to developing these ideas with both partners and Government.

www.regen.net 03/09/2010