Business park moves on

THE final piece of the puzzle which would allow work to start on a 25 million business park in Newhaven has fallen into place.

The smooth running of the East Side plans hinged on a 682,000 South East England Development Agency Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) grant for flood prevention and environmental work at the East Sussex County Council Ouse Valley Project next to the site.

The cash had to be spent this financial year or it would be lost. However, wrangling between the county council and East Side developers delayed plans and it emerged the money would not be used in time.

There were fears plans for the new business park, creating up to 1,500 jobs and include two huge call centres, would be forced back to the drawing board.

But there was jubilation this week at SEEDA s announcement the money would be rolled over to the new year.

Steve Buhlman, chairman of the Newhaven Economic Partnership (NEP), said: 'SEEDA has supported this project since its inception and has shown a great deal of flexibility in re-profiling the funding to accommodate the new timescale of the project.

'This will be another flagship project that the NEP is co-funding, and which will be of great benefit, not only to Newhaven but to the whole county.