PHOTO L to R: Claire Ward, Elizabeth Fagan CBE, Nora Senior CBE, Sir Chris Haworth
Representatives from ‘Team East Midlands’ including EMCCA, D2N2 LEP, East Midlands Freeport and East Midlands Development Company, are attending the UK Real Estate Infrastructure and Investment Forum (UKREiiF) in Leeds and will come together tomorrow to lead an interactive panel discussion ‘Focus on the East Midlands: our Time is NOW’.
During the panel, delegates will hear directly from Claire Ward, the new East Midlands Mayor, Elizabeth Fagan CBE, Chair, D2N2 LEP, Nora Senior CBE, Chair, East Midlands Freeport and Sir Chris Haworth, Chair, East Midlands Development Company, who will outline investment and development opportunities in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire and explain how devolution is set to transform the East Midlands region.
With access to up to £4 billion funding to invest in skills, transport, homes and regeneration and decarbonisation, the East Midlands devolution deal represents a once in a generation opportunity for our new East Midlands Mayor to use her new powers and new funding to drive growth and prosperity across the region. Our panellists will discuss major infrastructure investment propositions coming on stream in our region such as the East Midlands Investment Zone, the STEP Fusion programme and the East Midlands Hydrogen cluster.
Claire Ward, East Midlands Mayor, said:
“I’m looking forward to taking part in the panel session as a member of the great team banging the drum for the region at the high profile national economic development event, the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF). We’ll be showcasing why it makes so much sense to invest here and highlighting some of the great investment opportunities we have across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.”
D2N2 LEP Chair, Elizabeth Fagan CBE, said:
“During the panel, I’m looking forward to discussing the wealth of investable propositions we have in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, such as the East Midlands Investment Zone, that will focus on advanced manufacturing and green industries. The Investment Zone will complement our region’s low carbon prowess in nuclear and hydrogen, in particular the STEP Fusion programme in North Nottinghamshire and our East Midlands Hydrogen Consortium, our unique inland hydrogen collaboration cluster. The East Midlands is on the cusp of a very exciting future and it’s vital that we seize the momentum that devolution brings to transform our region.”
East Midlands Freeport Chair, Nora Senior CBE, said:
“We have been presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attract and drive investment, innovation, and green growth across the region with two landmark destinations offered by East Midlands Freeport and the new combined authority’s investment zones. This panel will be an excellent showcase for all that the East Midlands has to offer investors who are keen to harness the skills, expertise and manufacturing heritage we have on offer here in the heart of the country.”
The Chair of East Midlands Development Company , Sir Chris Haworth said:
“This is a momentous year for the East Midlands. We are looking forward to working with the East Midlands Combined County Authority and Mayor. There are some hugely exciting opportunities in the region which is at the centre of an energy revolution with the emergence of STEP nuclear fusion. Later this year, the closure of Ratcliffe Power Station, which is the last coal fired power station in the UK, marks a significant moment in history and provides a key location for economic growth adjacent to East Midlands Parkway Station.”
PHOTO: Geeta Pendse Picture: Alex Cantrill-Jones / ACJ Media
Our panel will be chaired by independent broadcaster Geeta Pendse
Panel details
Focus on the East Midlands: Our Time is NOW
Panel discussion at UKREiiF
DATE: Wednesday 22 May 2024
TIME: 14.15 – 15.15
LOCATION: Newsroom Stage, Royal Armouries, Leeds
Our panellists are:
Claire Ward, East Midlands Mayor
Elizabeth Fagan CBE, Chair D2N2 LEP
Nora Senior CBE, Chair, East Midlands Freeport
Sir Chris Haworth, Chair, East Midlands Development Company
East Midlands Devolution
Following the East Midlands devolution deal, agreed with Government ministers in 2022, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Derby and Nottingham will benefit from more control and more funding and now have a new combined authority covering their region – the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) that came into being at the end of February 2024.
The deal will improve the region’s economy and improve livelihoods for the region’s 2.2m residents. It will give the East Midlands the national voice it deserves, to champion major infrastructure and turn round historic under-investment in the East Midlands to benefit the regional economy, through a newly elected Mayor.
D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) covers the Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire region, convening the businesses, universities, colleges and local authorities in our region to drive low carbon, economic growth and productivity, skills & careers, inclusion and delivery excellence. The D2N2 LEP team and functions will transition into the East Midlands Combined County Authority during 2024.
East Midlands Freeport offers strategic development land at three sites – East Midlands Airport and Gateway Industrial Cluster, East Midlands Intermodal Park and the Ratcliffe on Soar Power Station redevelopment site.
As the only inland UK Freeport with an airport at its heart, it offers a unique opportunity to:
- Attract international investment to create tens of thousands of jobs
- Reinvest hundreds of millions of pounds across the East Midlands Freeport zone
- Create targeted innovation programmes in partnership with region’s universities
Its air, road and rail connections are unrivalled – with fast and efficient links to 70% of the world’s major cities, 91% of the UK population within a four-hour drive and access to 18 major freight rail lines, East Midlands Freeport is the place to locate.
East Midlands Development Company was established by a number of local authorities to pave the way for a possible statutory development corporation. The initiative is geared towards considering the future of big sites such as Ratcliffe Power Station working in partnership with the site owners and the wider community including the East Midlands Freeport.
For media enquiries, contact:
Nicola Swaney
Head of External Affairs, D2N2 LEP
Nicola.Swaney@d2n2lep.org
