Of course, it need not happen like that, provided there is the genuine engagement, collaboration and vision our research suggests business wants to see. There is no doubt the Solent Freeport leadership team, along with other key players, recognise that. However, it may help them in their task to hear constructive contributions from other supportive voices arguing for an approach which will help realise the benefits all want to see.
It is clear all parties involved are under pressure to ‘deliver’. If we do not work together and at speed we may miss the opportunity to make a real success of the Solent Freeport, and instead end up with a series of what one participant called “glorified enterprise zones”: business parks not linked to our economy in any meaningful way, alongside a number of off-the-shelf projects (“the road improvement we’ve always wanted to do”), none of which amounts to a genuine transformational step for the regional economy.
Southern Policy Centre
March 2023
There is no doubt the Central South’s businesses see the Solent Freeport as a real opportunity to tackle some of our economic malaise: addressing skills shortages, encouraging investment and promoting a positive image of the Central South.
For many the Solent Freeport has become vehicle for shared ambitions and aspirations our region has for the future.
Southern Policy Centre
March 2023
Of course, it need not happen like that, provided there is the genuine engagement, collaboration and vision our research suggests business wants to see. There is no doubt the Solent Freeport leadership team, along with other key players, recognise that. However, it may help them in their task to hear constructive contributions from other supportive voices arguing for an approach which will help realise the benefits all want to see.
It is clear all parties involved are under pressure to ‘deliver’. If we do not work together and at speed we may miss the opportunity to make a real success of the Solent Freeport, and instead end up with a series of what one participant called “glorified enterprise zones”: business parks not linked to our economy in any meaningful way, alongside a number of off-the-shelf projects (“the road improvement we’ve always wanted to do”), none of which amounts to a genuine transformational step for the regional economy.
There is no doubt the Central South’s businesses see the Solent Freeport as a real opportunity to tackle some of our economic malaise: addressing skills shortages, encouraging investment and promoting a positive image of the Central South.
For many the Solent Freeport has become vehicle for shared ambitions and aspirations our region has for the future.