Accelerating Opportunities within the Newhaven Enterprise Zone

Newhaven Enterprise Zone

The Newhaven Enterprise Zone, which launched in 2017 and covers approximately 79 hectares, is a catalyst for positive growth in Newhaven and the wider sub region. The overall objective of the Enterprise Zone is to deliver sustainable regeneration and a shift towards a higher value economy in Newhaven. Whilst the focus is on eight sites which are dispersed throughout the town, the ambition to create 70,000 sqm of new and refurbished employment floorspace and 2,000 jobs over a 25 year timeframe will impact across the SELEP region as well as supporting enterprise growth and job creation in East Sussex.

Avis Way Industrial Estate

The Project focuses on Avis Way, which is a key industrial estate in the Newhaven Enterprise Zone. The Project will work in three ways, each directly responding to the coastal communities and growth hub agenda, whilst also indirectly delivering against infrastructure, skills and social enterprise.

The three key focuses of the Project are:

• Avis Way Estates Improvement Plan – A business led forum has already been established and an Estate Audit and Improvement Plan drafted. The Project seeks to refine the Audit and Improvement Plan, as well as designing and delivering improvements to the estate which will encourage productivity, competitiveness and will attract new investment to the area.
• Avis Way Business Improvement District – The project will test and assess options for creating an Industrial Business Improvement District which will build on the business forum and create a sustainable model to continue investment in the estate and enhance the trading environment.
• Marketing of the Newhaven Enterprise Zone – A creative and coherent plan will be prepared and delivered, targeting both the community and businesses. The objective is to address and overcome the negative perception of the town, whilst simultaneously promoting the town for investment.

Project impacts

The Project is expected to realise the following benefits:

• Acceleration of refurbished business space – 1,006 sqm of refurbished business space to be brought forward two to three years earlier as a result of the SSF investment;
• Increased take up of industrial space across the Newhaven Enterprise Zone – it is expected that the Project will facilitate the take up of 1,500 sqm of vacant space across the Enterprise Zone;
• Acceleration of gross jobs delivery target for Avis Way – the gross jobs delivery target for Avis Way is 116 jobs. It is expected that the Project will accelerate delivery of these jobs by 30%.

Sector Support Fund

T​he Sector Support Fund (SSF) is a £500,000 per year pot to support one-off, discrete pieces of work of a pan-LEP nature with a sector focus that brings demonstrable benefit and has support across the LEP.

It uses Growing Places Fund (GPF) Revenue grant to fund a programme of works to support the sector focused activities that are being undertaken on a pan-LEP basis and predominantly led by the SELEP working groups. When the Growing Places Fund (GPF) was originally awarded, a proportion of the fund was earmarked as revenue which is being used for the Sector Support Fund.