Plans for East Midlands Freeport which could create jobs for Hucknall residents submitted to the government

Plans for an East Midlands Freeport, which could create more than 55,000 jobs and increase the East Midlands economy by £8.4 billion, have been submitted to the government.

The new jobs will be in areas including advanced manufacturing, construction, logistics, distribution, clean energy, and low carbon technology.

Freeports are special kinds of ports where normal tax and customs rules do not apply, allowing businesses to import and export while avoiding certain tariffs. They are designed to attract major domestic and international investment, part of a national government programme to strengthen regional economies across England.

The East Midlands Freeport will be based at three sites in Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, and Derbyshire - Ratcliffe on Soar, East Midlands Airport and Gateway Industrial Cluster (EMAGIC), and East Midlands Intermodal Park (EMIP).

Two of these sites are within a half hour drive of Hucknall, making it feasible that a number of these jobs could go to people living in the town seen as the commute is doable.

When complete, the East Midlands Freeport will be the only inland freeport in the UK, right in the heart of the country. It has cross-party support from both Conservative and Labour MPs, and its board is made up of representatives from local councils across the region, as well as universities and Local Enterprise Partnerships.

Nottinghamshire County Council Leader Ben Bradley MP has called the plans 'an extremely ambitious package.'

"It's worth saying that there are one million people who live within a half-an-hour drive from those sites, and that's a lot of people accessing those jobs and support," added Councillor Bradley.

"It's not just the jobs on-site but the wider supply chain. Half the jobs will be created not on the sites themselves, but around the rest of the region."

When completed, the East Midlands Freeport will be the best connected in the UK, with 91% of the country within a four-hour drive. East Midlands Airport will give it quick access to global markets, with excellent road and rail connections to other freeports and between the three East Midlands Freeport sites.

The plans build on the region's strengths and existing skills initiatives between universities and the private sector, with public and private sector partners working together to boost local people's access to employment.

A skills academy, to train people in the East Midlands in key industries, is also planned, to help local people access high-skilled and well-paid jobs.

The freeport will play a significant role in the region's commitment to cutting carbon, as we move towards net carbon zero, by promoting work on low carbon and renewable energy sources, with Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station becoming a hub for clean energy.

The freeport will also play an important part in the East Midlands' ambition to shift transport of freight from road to rail, as well as the adoption of alternative fuels.

Penny Coates, Independent Chair of the East Midlands Freeport Board, said: "The freeport creates a huge opportunity for the region to level up some of our most deprived areas, as well as to create much needed jobs, increase further education and skills, and to encourage business innovation and relocation into the UK. Being the only inland freeport, with its central location and excellent rail, road, and air links, it also creates fantastic global connections for all other UK freeport sites."

It is hoped that the government will announce formal freeport designation around the end of this year or early next year, with the East Midlands Freeport expected to be fully operational by March 2022.

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