Wyre agrees £320,000 broadband boost - and residents in this area can benefit too

Under emergency powers, Wyre chief executive Garry Payne gave the green light to funding for the delivery of improved infrastructure at the

business park.

And residents along the route close to the Enterprise Zone (EZ), based at the former ICI site off Fleetwood Road and overlooking the River Wyre, will also be likely to benefit from the local full fibre network, as well as the businesses.

The network, called SPR-2, is an extension to the full fibre network currently being provided across the Fylde coast by Blackpool Council

Wyre is allocating money from the EZ Growth Reserve, created from retained business rates on the zone site, to pay for it.

A report to the council states: “This extension will ensure maximum benefit for the businesses within the EZ and the wider area locally including residential properties nearby.”

The Enterprise Zone at Thornton was officially launched in April 2016 as part of a Government initiative and is a sister project of the Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone.

Enterprise zone status offers businesses huge incentives to move their operation to the sites at Squires Gate and Thornton.

Wyre Council, the accountable body for the Thornton zone, is able to offer business rate relief up to a total value of £275,000 over a five year period where a business moves to the enterprise zone before March 31, 2022.

The idea is that by offering businesses incentives to move to the enterprise zones and by helping them prosper, it can led to the creation of new jobs.

Similar enterprise zones have been set up across the North West with the hope that the breadth of manufacturing, hi-tech industries and innovation across the county can provide a launch pad for the future economy.