He said the new government continued to commit to National Cyber Force (NCF) coming to the county.
The creation of the organisation’s national HQ has been described as a £5bn investment into the economy over the next five to 10 years, bringing thousands of jobs.
Simon said investment to deliver the new NCF headquarters in Samlesbury was already happening, with building work underway.
He told delegates at the conference: “There is lots of dialogue with government officials and ministers around how quickly we can get that to come forward.”
And he also revealed that work was progressing to create Lancashire Cricket’s second home in the heart of the county in Farington. The £20m state-of-the-art sporting facility is set to host its first game next summer.
The conference examined a host of major regeneration projects either being delivered or planned around Lancashire.
These include the potentially ‘game-changing’ Silicon Sands data and energy masterplan at Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone and the Multiversity vision for the centre of the resort, as well as Burnley’s transformational ‘university town’ project.
Delegates heard that Preston was in the middle of delivering an ambitious £1bn investment programme that included major heritage led regeneration projects such as the £16m-plus re-invention of the Harris Museum and Library.
Pendle’s regeneration work in its town centres, including Nelson and Colne, was also highlighted, along with the success of partnership working in the borough.
Lancashire’s devolution journey was put under the microscope during the event, with the wide acknowledgement the deal struck with central government in September was just a starting point.
Adrian Philips
Lukman Patel KNOWS NO BOUNDS AMBITION THAT
The sheer scale of Lancashire’s growth ambition was laid out before conference delegates.
Multi-billion pound development programmes are already delivering massive benefits in towns and cities across the county.
And there are more major game-changing projects in the pipeline, including ‘big ticket’ items of national significance driven by innovation and a determination to attract more inward investment.
The breadth of development is also impressive – ranging from multi-million pound investments in heritage assets to the creation of new centres of learning and education.
Lukman Patel, chief executive of Burnley Council, outlined its ongoing university town project in partnership with the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). He told delegates: “This is our USP now.”
He said: “We don’t stand still. We worked out that east Lancashire had the biggest geographical footprint within the UK without a dedicated university. So we partnered with UCLan and it has been absolutely phenomenal.”
Burnley’s university ambitions have led to the creation of its canalside campus, with its nod to the town’s industrial heritage and the delivery of purpose-built student accommodation.
Simon Lawrence
Student numbers have grown from 90 to just over 2,000 with nearly 4,000 studying in Burnley next year. Courses have also grown and include medicine and nursing.
Lukman also highlighted the major investment in commercial development that the borough has seen which has gone “from strength-to-strength”.
He highlighted the Issa brothers’ company Monte Development’s £95m investment in Frontier Park, Burnley, immediately off junction nine of the M65.
He said the development was focused on advanced manufacturing and engineering. Stolle Machinery, its first tenant, is investing £20m in its new facility. It intends to bring 200 jobs, including 27 apprentices, to the site.
Nick Gerrard, growth and prosperity programme director at Blackpool Council, highlighted its £2bn growth and prosperity programme, informing delegates that it was “well into the second billion of that delivery.”
He emphasised the scale of activity in the town, with major developments that began in 2022 with the opening of the new Winter Gardens conference centre.
Other ‘big ticket’ developments include the £100m investment in office accommodation for civil servants being build at Talbot Gateway with planning consent for a building that will bring in another 1,000 office workers into the heart of Blackpool.
And he added that work was continuing to deliver the £65m town centre ‘Multiversity’ which will offer traditional higher education and lifelong learning and bring up to 3,000 students into the town centre.
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