South Holland could be branded among the ‘UK Food Valley’ as part of marketing proposals for Holbeach’s Food Enterprise Zone.
Work is already underway on phase one of the multi-million business park being created for food technology companies and City of Lincoln University.
Partner Lincolnshire County Council commissioned ‘visioning work’ from consultancy firm Collison and Associates earlier this year who suggested the ‘UK Food Valley’ branding.
A report to the county council’s Environment and Economy Scrutiny Committee, states on the consultants findings: “Its recommendations included the need for the Food Enterprise Zone to have a strong brand and for stakeholders to prioritise the identification of a suitable identity.
“The report included one suggestion that the scheme could be described as the “UK Food Valley” to reflect the South Lincolnshire FEZ’s role and relationship with two other FEZ’s being developed in Greater Lincolnshire (on the south bank of the Humber and at Hemswell Cliff) and similar schemes in East Anglia.
“Looked at as a whole, the South Lincolnshire FEZ sits at the centre of these schemes.
“Perhaps a way to rationalise this with the existing ‘Food Enterprise Zone’ brand, which is strong and established (there are three in Greater Lincolnshire and others elsewhere) is to see the South Lincolnshire FEZ sitting centrally within the “UK’s Food Valley”, and straddling three LEP areas, which is potentially an exceptionally strong marketing statement in the context of the food industry in the East and East Midlands as a whole.”
Last month the FEZ received around £8m from the government’s Getting Building Fund. This has been allocated towards “the construction of an additional 220 metres of site service road to access the remaining eight development plots and also the construction of a new Hub building,” the county council report states.
It continues that work is behind schedule and costing more due to rainfall during the construction period as well as the COVID-19 lockdown.
It concludes: “There is a clear need for public sector involvement in the delivery of the South Lincolnshire FEZ in order to bring the scheme forward as soon as possible.
“The council’s involvement will also ensure that new businesses are attracted to the area which will in turn have a positive impact on supply chain and “business to business” opportunities.
“These objectives are particularly important as the UK economy recovers from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and prepares for Brexit.”
