Overview

Buckinghamshire Enterprise Zone is facilitating the strengthening of infrastructure at Silverstone Park, Westcott Venture Park and Arla / Woodlands sites; attracting and developing new business investment; accelerating the growth and development of local enterprise; and helping address the business critical infrastructure needs of the sites.

In addition to strengthening the commercial offer of these three strategic employment locations, Enterprise Zone status is supporting the drive for inward investment projects from abroad.

The Enterprise Zone aligns directly with Buckinghamshire’s Strategic Economic Plan, and Local Industrial Strategy. These identify Silverstone Park, Westcott Venture Park and Arla/Woodlands as three key strategic employment locations with great potential to add value to key sectors including high-performance technology / motorsport; space propulsion / satellite communications; drone testing & development; and environmental engineering: agri-food / human health.

The scale and specialised nature of the development, the mix of uses, and the highly strategic position, at the centre of the Oxford – Cambridge Arc is enabling Buckinghamshire Enterprise Zone to challenge internationally as a major new employment location over the coming years.

In total, the Enterprise Zone designation covers approximately 96 hectares of commercial land with the potential to create over 310,000m2 of employment floorspace and over 5,500 new jobs.

Established in 2012, Enterprise Zones are at the heart of the government’s long term economic plan, supporting businesses to grow. Since their introduction in April 2012 they have laid the foundations for 877 businesses, attracting over £3.5 billion pounds of private sector investment, building world class business facilities and transport links, and creating 38,393 jobs.

Enterprise Zones are an important part of the Government’s programme to devolve responsibility for leadership of local growth and provide a powerful tool for Local Enterprise Partnerships to develop their local economy.

Buckinghamshire Enterprise Zone became operational in April 2016 and has a 25-year life running until March 2041.

Buckinghamshire Enterprise Zone is a partnership between the public and private sectors delivering significant commercial development for the wider benefit of the local and regional economies. It brings together representatives of the local authorities in Buckinghamshire, businesses, and other public sector agencies with an interest in the Enterprise Zone.