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Roundup: Flagship Enterprise Zones create 15,500 jobs across England

Xinhua, February 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

One of Britain's coalition government's flagship initiatives has created more than 15,500 new jobs across England.

Enterprise Zones have also attracted more than 3.25 billion U.S. dollars of private sector investment, the government's Department for Communities and Local Government reveal in new figures.

The British government launched 24 enterprise zones in April 2012 as part of a 25-year project to rebalance British economy, offering companies attracted to the zones a range of tax incentives, simplified planning and superfast broadband to companies.

Sectors so far enticed to various zones include automotive, aerospace, pharmaceuticals and renewable energy operations, adding up to nearly 500 businesses moving into the zones.

The zones have also provided a major boost to Britain's construction sector with work already carried out to redevelop more than 100 hectares of land and deliver more than 550,000 square meters of new or refurbished floor space.

In the latest wave of public investment more than 350 million U.S. dollars is being committed to 31 projects across England, creating at least 160,000 square meters of new office and industrial space by 2018 - the equivalent in size of more than 23 football pitches at London's Wembley Stadium, national home of English football.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: "Enterprise zones are playing a vital role in delivering greater prosperity to the UK economy and have now created more than 15,500 jobs for hard-working people across the country since opening for business. The zones are now picking up the pace and really starting to deliver for the economy. We're seeing activity across the country from established sites attracting some of the biggest names in business to derelict sites being brought back to life. Businesses know that enterprise zones work and are making the most of top-class incentives and world-class infrastructure on offer."

Pickles cited various success stories for the zones from work to transform derelict parts of London's Royal Docks into a 1.6 billion U.S. dollars business hub for Asian markets, creating up to 20,000 jobs over 25 years, to a 450 million U.S. dollars project spearheaded by Siemens to build a massive renewable offshore energy development in Humberside creating 1,000 direct jobs and hundreds more in construction. Endit