Derbyshire business park could create 20,000 jobs, council chief says
A huge new business park in South Derbyshire could create nearly 20,000 jobs, a council chief said.
The East Midlands Intermodal Park project, opposite Toyota, north of Etwall, would have 10,600 jobs on the site, for a total of 19,900 jobs including those connected to the site.
Cllr Barry Lewis, head of Derbyshire County Council, said the site could bring in £ 910million to the region each year.
He said it would provide a rail freight exchange, remove many vehicles carrying goods from the roads, and include innovation in partnership with Toyota in hydrogen technology and “green fuel.”
Cllr Lewis said it would create a “hotbed of innovation†and “overload†the local economy, including for companies like Nestlé and JCB.
He said the site would allow companies like Toyota and Bombardier to bring their supply chains to the region to cut costs, bringing those jobs from the UK and around the world to the East Midlands.
(Photo: LEP D2N2)
Skeptics fear this will leave areas where these companies are currently based, with jobs and economic drought.
At a cabinet meeting on June 17, Cllr Lewis said the authority would work to mitigate any negative impact of the plan and the broader Freeport (tax haven) goals for the East Midlands.
The full business case for the site is expected to be tabled in the fall.
Cllr Tony King, Cabinet Member for Clean Growth and Regeneration, said: “I am very excited about this. It is a huge project and there will be huge investment opportunities.
“Many huge opportunities will be found in extremely innovative fields, in particular in hydrogen energy, in cooperation with Toyota.
“This will give existing companies huge opportunities to integrate their supply chains and will significantly benefit our existing supply chain.
“We talk a lot and we focus on jobs and the number of jobs, but it’s also an opportunity to promote high security jobs.
Cllr Lewis agreed the program would aim to provide quality jobs, especially in tech.
The A50 / A38 roundabout intermodal fleet at Toyota would include 5.2 million square feet of manufacturing and distribution space.
The entire East Midlands Freeport, at sites in the region, including Etwall, is expected to create 60,000 jobs.