The Growth Deal is £320 million of government funding being delivered by the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership to support economic growth in the area.
The programme is a key part of the Northern Powerhouse initiative and is driving growth across the county.
The Growth Deal is helping to generate up to 11,000 new jobs, create 3,900 new homes and attract £1.2 billion of additional public and private investment for Lancashire.
The Lancashire Growth Deal is focussed on four themes:
Releasing Growth Potential
Renewal of Blackpool
Growing the local Skills and Business Base
Innovation and Manufacturing Excellence.
The Benefits for Lancashire
The Growth Deal is building on key economic assets including the universities and colleges, Lancashire’s Enterprise Zones, the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal and high-value business clusters.
It is upgrading commercial infrastructure, kick starting economic initiatives, and unlocking private investment.
Over 40 projects have benefitted directly, including:
The North West Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) at the Samlesbury Enterprise Zone site which will drive innovation and growth across a range of advanced manufacturing disciplines
New and improved transport connections including the Blackburn-Bolton Rail Corridor; the Broughton Bypass; the Centenary Way Viaduct; and the Hyndburn-Burnley-Pendle Growth Corridor
World-class higher education, research and vocational skills provision and facilities including UCLan’s flagship Engineering and Innovation Centre; the Lancashire Energy HQ in Blackpool; Lancaster’s Health Innovation Campus; and Myerscough College’s Food & Farming Innovation Centre
A wide-ranging package of regeneration programmes specifically for Blackpool including a new international conference and exhibition centre at the Winter Gardens complex; the development of Blackpool town centre ‘Quality Corridors’; traffic management, bridge and road improvements and an extension of Blackpool’s tram network.
Boost; Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub – a business support programme for ambitious, fast-growing SMEs
Key employment and regeneration sites including Burnley’s Vision Park, the Lomeshaye Industrial Estate, Spinning Point in Rossendale and Pendle’s Northlight
Lancashire’s Growth Deal programme is fully coordinated with major economic initiatives: the £450m Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal; the £20m Growing Places Investment Fund; and the Lancashire Advanced Manufacturing and Energy Enterprise Zone Cluster which together are delivering economic growth and prosperity in Lancashire.
Growth Deal projects
Project Business Cases – For scheme / packages requiring a Growth Deal contribution of greater than £5m, business cases will be made available on the LEP website for six weeks before the final investment decision is made and external comments invited.