Speaking at the Midlands Development Conference, the D2N2 LEP’s Capital Projects Manager Tom Goshawk (pictured) told an audience of over 300 leaders from the property, development, infrastructure, and construction industries how the LEP is working to deliver on its strategy to lift the area into the top quartile of productive economies in Europe.
As part of this strategy, the D2N2 LEP has injected funding into projects across the area; including £2million in Local Growth Fund investment for the Buxton Crescent project, which is renovating a Grade II-listed building in the Derbyshire spa town, to create the Peak District’s first five-star hotel and spa.
He said the LEP had contributed £8.1m in funding to purchase land and create space to pave the way for the comprehensive regeneration of the Becketwell site in Derby city centre.
As the private sector-led Partnership which promotes economic growth across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, D2N2 has been allocated more than £250million in LGF funding from the UK Government, to part-fund infrastructure projects which directly help its area’s economy and create jobs.
With a major focus on infrastructure connecting cities and towns the Midlands is set to see an unprecedented level of investment, development, and regeneration.
The Midlands Development Conference
The first annual Midlands Development Conference was designed as a platform to promote greater collaboration between those helping drive the Midland’s vision; to become one of the UK’s most desirable regions to live, work and invest.
Some Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) representatives at the Conference expressed their frustration with the lack of funding certainty for LEPs, beyond 2021, which is when their current allocations run out. LEPs require longer-term funding certainty from the Government in the upcoming Spending Review, it was argued, to continue making progress.
Sarah Middleton, Chief Executive of the Black Country LEP said: “Having built up a fantastic pipeline of things we want to invest in, it would be a real shame for that to be impacted by not being able to do that development work and not knowing what the funding is beyond 2021. Both public and private sector resilience to the situation is getting thin, and we need an outcome so we can have some certainty going forward.”
Media wanting further information about the D2N2 LEP can contact D2N2 Social Media and Marketing Officer Luke Stott on 0115 9578749 or email: Luke.stott@d2n2lep.org
