The government has announced that the East Midlands will be host to one of eight new Freeports in England, creating an estimated 60,000 new skilled jobs for the region.
Based around the East Midlands Airport and Gateway Industrial Cluster (EMAGIC) in North West Leicestershire, Unipers Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station site in Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands Intermodal Park (EMIP) in South Derbyshire, the Freeport will bring significant investment to develop and drive innovation, alternative energy sources and green technology supporting SME’s and large regional employers, including Rolls-Royce, Toyota, and Alstom (formerly Bombardier).
The East Midlands Freeport bid was submitted in February 2021 by a consortium led by the Local Enterprise Partnerships representing Leicester, Leicestershire, Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. It included private sector businesses and local authorities, with support from universities, business groups, local MP’s and the proposed East Midlands Development Corporation.
