City Deal will unlock £170 million investment in the city.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Minister for Cities Greg Clark have today unveiled a historic plan to unlock over £170m of investment in Greater Brighton to create 8,500 jobs and help grow its technology businesses.
The Greater Brighton City Deal, to be signed for the Government today by Greg Clark MP, leaders of local authorities and the Local Enterprise Partnership, will expand the technological base at New England House to make it a major centre for creative and digital businesses – giving the city the chance to compete with other major tech clusters around the world.
The City Deal will also unlock cheaper and faster broadband for Brighton’s tech companies by creating a Digital Exchange in the heart of the city, where companies collaborate to use combined buying power to get faster broadband at lower prices.
This is made possible as the Government has agreed to provide flexibility over how money from the Superconnected Cities fund is spent, meaning that if you are working in a tech startup in Brighton, there will be more space in this exciting new hub for you to grow your business, to collaborate with other exciting young companies, and take advantage of advice and support available at New England House.
As well as measures to create jobs and growth in Brighton itself, the City Deal will also unlock key regeneration and employment sites in Shoreham and Newhaven by providing certainty over the future of key flood defences.
In Newhaven, this will allow the development of a Clean Tech Growth Centre, building on investment in the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm and a new University Technical College.
The site in Shoreham is earmarked as an Environmental Technologies Growth Centre, building on Ricardo UK’s new £10m Vehicle Emissions Research Centre on the site.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: “We’re giving Brighton the freedom, power and tools to be really innovative and design whole new ways of building a stronger economy and fairer society. This City Deal puts power in the hands of local people who know best what skills are needed in the area to give it a real chance of changing the fortunes of thousands of people in and around Brighton.”
Greg Clark, Minister for Cities, added: “Brighton’s tech cluster has grown from very little 10 years ago to having 1,500 businesses today. It’s already making a huge impact on Brighton’s economic performance, and this City Deal will help accelerate its growth by ensuring that it can provide the space and infrastructure for high-value creative-technological businesses to grow. It can help turn Brighton into one of the most prosperous cities in the UK.”
The £170 million of investment consists of £6.7m from central government, £9.8m from the local public sector and at least £155m of private investment.
The deal gives local partners the opportunity to guarantee the start dates for key flood defence works at Shoreham Harbour and Newhaven, in return for local contributions to enhance the value of these defences. These defences would protect hundreds of homes and businesses, and by guaranteeing a start date for the protection works to begin, the deal will help secure private sector investment and create thousands of jobs along the coast. If flood defence spending is included, Government’s total commitment to Greater Brighton will exceed £30m.
The city of Brighton & Hove is currently home to around 1,500 technological companies – the same number as London’s Tech City, also known as “Silicon Roundabout” – and has one of the most highly-skilled workforces in the country.
The City Deal is focused on making the most of those skills to vastly increase Brighton’s contribution to national economic growth.
City Deal is expected to deliver:
· 1,300 jobs in the short-term, rising to 8,500 jobs and 361m in annual GVA over the medium-term;
· A £24.5m investment in the flagship New England House, with an extra 7,000m2 of floorspace for creative-tech businesses
· £173m of investment in the medium term, creating a network of Growth Centres across the City Region
· The unlocking of sites to deliver up to 2000 new homes over the medium term
· A 1.8m integrated business support programme across the Greater Brighton and wider Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership area
· Unlocking flood defences
Following the ‘Silicon Beach’ City Deal for Brighton announcement, Prime Minister, David Cameron, said: “Today’s City Deal is great for Brighton, growing and harnessing the digital and creative skills that the city is rightly renowned for. With more power and freedom to run the local economy in the way they see fit, local people will be able to make decisions that directly benefit Brighton’s businesses. And by supporting new and innovative businesses, Brighton’s deal will help us secure the nation’s recovery and deliver our long term economic plan.”
Simon Kirby, MP for Kemptown and Peacehaven, a long standing supporter of the Governments City Deal scheme, added: “I am a big supporter of the Government’s City Deal initiative and I have worked closely with Government Ministers to ensure that Brighton is able to benefit. I am delighted that the deal is being launched today, as it will bring thousands of jobs to the City and millions of pounds of private sector investment. I know that my constituents in Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven will welcome the Government’s clear commitment to our city.”
Mike Weatherley, MP for Hove and Portslade was instrumental in petitioning the Government to unlock the £170m of investment, he said: “The City Deal is an excellent opportunity for Brighton & Hove and its neighbours. I know that a lot of work has gone on behind the scenes and I am grateful to everyone who has made this deal possible. Looking forward, I have no doubt that Brighton & Hove will establish itself further as a regional power house as a direct result of this game changing initiative.”
Brighton & Hove City Council Leader Jason Kitcat, said: “Greater Brighton City Deal is just the beginning of a collaborative approach which will see the city and the surrounding region reach its potential. The ambition and commitment which have brought City Deal to fruition will also mean we can bring more jobs and better housing , better infrastructure and a more vibrant regional long term economy. This is the beginning of an exciting journey to devolving more powers and responsibility to our city region.”
Norman Baker the Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes whose constituency stretches to Newhaven, concluded: “This is a vote of confidence in the communities along the coastal trip, from Shoreham through Brighton and Hove, to Newhaven. The investment in Newhaven in particular is a shot in the arm for the town and adds to the growing confidence that the town is firmly on the way up.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.