£6.25m boost to bring thousands of jobs to i54 business park

The boost was revealed by the Government today which pledged to make the site the 'beating heart' of West Midland industry.

It will mean new factories moving onto the i54 will get access to the electricity they need while roads will also be strengthened to cope with abnormal loads from lorries.

The pledge from the government comes as £36.7m is being spent by Wolverhampton City and Staffordshire County councils to provide a new slip road to the i54, where it is hoped that up to 6,000 will eventually work. Overall, the government today confirmed a national support scheme worth a total of £415m – £100m for infrastructure, £300m worth of tax breaks for small firms and £15m to set up new University Enterprise Zones in eight main UK cities, including Birmingham.

As part of the £415 million announcement, £300 million has also been made available to give 300,000 small retail firms £1,000 off their next tax bill.

Jaguar Land Rover is creating a £500m engine plant at the site in Fordhouses with 1,400 jobs. Work is expected to be complete at the end of the year. It is hoped that the improvements will make the remaining development plots available to potential occupiers more quickly, meaning more jobs.

The Black Country Enterprise Zone is split over 19 sites, including on and around the i54 in Wolverhampton and parts of Darlaston. Businesses already established in the zone include Jaguar Land Rover, Moog Aircraft Group, Eurofins and ISP. More than 550 people have begun working at the site since 2012.

Tom Westley, from the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership, said the investment would 'ensure the Black Country Enterprise Zone becomes the beating heart of a strategic cluster of advanced manufacturing companies'.

He added: "The Black Country LEP welcomes the announcement of the injection of an additional £6.25m for essential infrastructure to supply heavy duty electricity, undertake abnormal works to improve the stability and load-bearing capacity of some of the development plots and road improvements on i54 South Staffordshire."

On a visit to the Black Country Enterprise Zone, Lord Deighton, commercial secretary to the Treasury, said:

"Quality infrastructure is key to creating a competitive economy and putting Britain at the front of the global race. That is why we have prioritised spending on infrastructure and set out a long term strategy to make sure the UK tackles decades of underinvestment.

"With the potential to create 6,000 jobs by 2020, the Black Country Enterprise Zone will give a huge boost to the area, attracting investment from around the country and beyond. But we have to prepare now and that means getting infrastructure right.

"By investing in better transport, digital communications and our utilities we can unlock thousands of pounds of private investment, supporting our businesses to expand and making our Enterprise Zones true breeding grounds for growth."