Photos - Alan Mak MP looks over plans for the Dunsbury Hill Farm development
- Alan Mak MP with Local Growth Minister James Wharton MP and Portsmouth City Council Leader Donna Jones at Dunsbury Hill Farm.
Local Government and Communities Secretary Greg Clark joined Havant MP Alan Mak in praising the impact of the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in the exciting Dunsbury Hill regeneration. The development, which will see up to 3000 new jobs created in a cutting edge ‘business gateway’, has been partly-funded by the Solent Growth Deal.
In the House of Commons, Alan Mak MP asked the Secretary of State to join him in supporting the work of the Solent LEP, and pledged to continue backing their contemporaries across the country through Growth Deals that secure jobs and higher standards of living in Britain.
Solent LEP secured over £4.5m to fund the ongoing project for a Dunsbury Hill Farm Link Road, which will give new business tenants strategic access to the highway network via the A3(M). The construction is part of a new business gateway that is designed to deliver employment, investment, and community regeneration to Dunsbury Hill Farm, Waterlooville and nearby Leigh Park.
Solent LEP’s funding of the vital link road is being supplemented by Portsmouth City, Hampshire County, and Havant Borough Councils. Mr Mak joined Cabinet Minister Greg Clark in praising the Dunsbury Hill Farm Link Road initiative as an excellent example of local enterprise working in tandem with regional authorities.
Mak said: “The new Dunsbury Hill Farm business park is set to create around 3000 new local jobs. The Solent LEP play a key role in making the site viable by funding the link road, a vital artery for goods, services, and local workers who will soon be based there. Solent LEP are often in the background on big projects, but I very much value their work in Havant.”
The Havant MP added: “I will continue working closely with Solent LEP and Havant Council to drive forward positive change to local infrastructure and economic growth across the constituency.”
Gary Jeffries, Solent LEP Chairman, said: "Construction on the link road is nearing completion and we are already looking forward to seeing the first businesses move onto the site. The project is a fantastic example of how strategic investment through our Growth Deal can unlock business growth and the LEP is already focussed on identifying further projects that can follow in the footsteps of this success. We look forward to working with Government colleagues in the coming months as we continue our efforts to transform the Solent economy."
In 2015, Mak gained Chancellor George Osborne’s approval for the Dunsbury Hill development, whilst in May 2016 the Havant MP also saw Prime Minister David Cameron join him in backing the first announced tenant of the new business gateway – international clothing retailer FatFace.
Clothing manufacturer FatFace have agreed to be the first tenant, creating around 50 new jobs at their new distribution centre building at Dunsbury Hill.
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