Business leaders have backed Locate in Kent’s work in highlighting the importance of Kent and Medway for the wider UK economy and supporting the need for investment that will fulfil the region’s potential over the next 25 years.
Locate in Kent recently set out opportunities for business growth across the region alongside research that predicted a £23 billion boost to Britain’s economy by 2050 with an unlocking of investment through a collaborative approach from the private and public sectors.
‘Investing in Kent for future generations,’ Locate in Kent’s Investment Prospectus, highlights employment projects in the pipeline and exciting future business opportunities across a range of sectors from science park expansion to renewable energy production and sustainable food production.
Simon Ryan, investment director, Locate in Kent, said: “We produced the Investment Prospectus to help decision makers across Kent and Medway to share the region’s ambitions with government, statutory agencies and the private sector to invest in the region to support future jobs and opportunities.
“We’re delighted that many business leaders across Kent are supporting what we set out to achieve – providing a snapshot of what this region is already contributing to Britain’s economy and how much more could be delivered with incentives to invest from the private sector and the publicly funded infrastructure needed to support that growth.”
Liz Gibney is chair of the Kent and Medway Economic Partnership (KMEP), set up to drive forward economic growth and prosperity throughout the region. Its membership is drawn from business, local government, and further and higher education.
Liz said: “Locate in Kent’s Investment Prospectus not only showcases some of the strategic investments that KMEP has backed in recent years but also highlights the many growth opportunities waiting to be unlocked by further investment in the county.
“Kent and Medway has a proven track record for economic growth with an exciting array of projects coming through from businesses investing in the region.
“In order to build on this legacy and achieve the county’s full potential as a major contributor to the UK economy, Kent and Medway stands ready, with the right additional investment, to support and deliver the development opportunities outlined in Locate in Kent’s prospectus.”
Jane Kennedy is chief business officer at Discovery Park, an increasingly important part of the UK’s £94 billion life science sector alongside Kent Science Park in Sittingbourne. Plans are in place to bring more than 1 million sq. ft. of science-related space to the region over the next decade.
She said: “We’ve seen considerable growth for Discovery Park and for Kent and Medway more broadly as the region steps up to play a significant role in the exponential growth of UK science.
“Locate in Kent’s Investment Prospectus rightly highlights how the region is contributing to a £94 billion life science sector that has the power to drive economic regeneration nationwide.
“At Discovery Park, we are on a mission to become a world-leading science park over the next five years. For that to happen, as the prospectus sets out, we will need our partners in government and the private sector to allow us to fully realise our potential to supercharge the science and technology strength in Kent.”
Mark Quinn is chairman and CEO of Quinn Estates, a company involved in a number of key regeneration-focused projects across Kent, including the film studio-led Newtown Works project and the new global headquarters for the Brompton Bicycle company in Ashford.
Mark said: “Locate in Kent’s Investment Prospectus not only provides a powerful reminder of the strengths Kent and Medway enjoys but also what the right investment can bring.
“We’re proud to be involved in many of the game-changing projects for Kent and Medway that will deliver jobs, skills and opportunities for years to come.”
Doug Bannister is chief executive of the Port of Dover, the UK’s busiest international ferry port and a leading cruise port in Britain and Northern Ireland with an ambitious target to become the UK’s first high-volume green shipping corridor.
He said: “We’re delighted that the Port of Dover’s investment and sustainability ambitions are recognised in Locate in Kent’s Investment Prospectus.
“In 2024, we will be embarking on a new strategic master planning exercise looking ahead to 2050 to help us understand where we need to be planning for change, including supporting economic development both locally and nationwide.
“Kent and Medway’s position between London and Europe makes it a strategically important region where a successful economy benefits the whole of the UK.
“At the Port of Dover, it’s our mission to close the gap between the UK and the world, every day. We connect local and international partners to create world-class travel, trading and visitor experiences to empower exchange between Kent and the world.”
Troy Barratt is the managing director at Contracts Engineering, Sittingbourne, a company that has championed bringing manufacturing back to the UK as well as investing heavily in robotics; building a highly skilled, highly productive operation that is delivering for clients across the UK and overseas.
Troy said: “I’m super pleased to see the opportunities for reshoring and nearshoring manufacturing to the UK put front and centre by Locate in Kent in its Investment Prospectus.
“The vision set out in the prospectus is clear, environmentally sound and creates a lot of highly paid, highly skilled jobs for Kent and Medway.
“The Investment Prospectus outlines a roadmap for local MPs, who we are sure will join us in supporting this reshoring and nearshoring trend to support green reindustrialisation.”
