Chancellor pledges to help with enterprise zone at Thoresby Colliery

Chancellor George Osborne has pledged to work with the Mansfield and Ashfield community to try and set plans into motion for an '˜enterprise zone' at Thoresby Colliery.
MP Mark Spencer is campaigning to get an enterprise zxone at the site of the former Thoresby CollieryMP Mark Spencer is campaigning to get an enterprise zxone at the site of the former Thoresby Colliery
MP Mark Spencer is campaigning to get an enterprise zxone at the site of the former Thoresby Colliery

This comes after a bid was put in for the business zone in September last year which was declared unsuccessful in the November Autumn Statement.

The plans were submitted by Nottinghamshire County Council as part of a scheme to make improvements along the Robin Hood Line, which incorporates the former coal mine and would create thousands of jobs in the area.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

These plans were turned down on the basis that they ‘did not present the best business case’.

But the Chancellor announced in parliament that he has visited the site and is committed to working with the MPs and community “to try and get over the line and get an enterprise zone in place in Thoresby colliery”.

Sherwood MP Mark Spencer is pleased about the Chancellor’s commitment to support the bid.

He said: “It would be a huge boost for the north of Nottinghamshire through my constituency and Newark, as well as Mansfield, Ashfield and Bassetlaw too, if we could get a revived Robin Hood Line servicing a new enterprise zone to create hundreds of jobs and transport people to and from those jobs.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It could change hundreds of lives in our area for the better and be a major boost to our local economy.”

Enterprise zones were introduced by the Government to encourage investment from businesses by providing incentives such as tax concessions.

If given the green light, the zone would extend to the Berry Hill, Sherwood Park at Ollerton and Summit Park in Ashfield.

The infrastructure is already in place at Summit Park, but has so far failed to attract the investment first anticipated.