Fylde coast part of united Lancashire at major conference

Edwin Booth, chariman of the Lancashire enterprise Partnership

And the event is being seen as a significant step towards the red rose country becoming a force in the Northern Powerhouse as a combined authority.

Marketing Lancashire, the county council and nine local authorities including Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre through their Economic Development Company, are teaming up to fly the flag collectively exhibiting for the first time under the “We Are Lancashire, the place for growth” identity.

The drive, at the UK’s most influential property investment conference, MIPIM UK, starting on Wednesday at London’s Olympia, is being led by The Lancashire Enterprise Partnership with help from the councils plus the Eric Wright Group, and Carillion PLC.

An artist's impressio of the We Are Lancashire stand

At the heart of Lancashire’s pitch will be a new, integrated approach to marketing the county’s four enterprise zone sites as one dynamic, world-class and overarching investment destination – the Lancashire Advanced Manufacturing and Energy Cluster.

The cluster includes Samlesbury, Warton, Blackpool Airport and Hillhouse EZ sites, which provide a world class offer to investors in the advanced manufacturing, energy and engineering sectors.

The cluster has the potential to generate 10,000 new high value jobs and ensure Lancashire builds on its position as one of the UK’s leading centres of excellence in advanced manufacturing and energy.

Edwin Booth, chairman of the Lancashire LEP said: “Lancashire taking a unified message to MIPIM UK is another huge step towards the county working more closely together to promote its combined strengths to both domestic and international markets.

“Our four Enterprise Zone sites being marketed as a world-class cluster is another bold move, and it reinforces the fact that Lancashire is working hard as one economic force to unlock more UK and international investment.

“Within our EZ cluster framework we will also be leveraging our position as the world’s fourth largest aerospace market and one of the UK’s biggest advanced manufacturing hubs further maximising the integral role Lancashire will play in plans to re-establish the North of England as a global powerhouse.”