Delay fear for business park

A BID to build a 25 million Newhaven Eastside business park could face further delays.

The smooth running of the deal was reliant on a 682,000 grant for flood prevention and environmental work for East Sussex County Council s Ouse Valley Project next to the site.

But the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) cash from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) could be lost if it is not spent this financial year.

The new business park, with two huge call centres at its hub, would create up to 1,500 jobs.

Weather

But winter weather conditions mean the work cannot start on the flood prevention work and it is rare for SRB money to be carried over from one financial year to another.

As a result the Newhaven Economic Partnership has been forced to write to SEEDA to ask for the cash to be made available next year.

Sarah Ireland, NEP programme manager, said: 'SEEDA cannot guarantee that if we don t use the money this year it will be carried over. We will explain to SEEDA what the situation is and they will consider it.

'What we are doing also has an impact regionally, if everybody was unable to spend money allocated for this year it would cause SEEDA cash flow problems.

John Husband, of Humberts, agents for Eastside land, said the cash hold-up could cause delays and force plans to be changed to incorporate new landscaping and flood prevention work.

'We hope this does not happen as we would have to go back to the drawing board and planning issues take time. It would not be the kiss of death but it would cause unnecessary delays.

This is not the first time Eastside business park plans have encountered a stumbling block.

Earlier this year East Sussex County Council threatened to withdraw 500,000 it had earmarked to compulsorily purchase land for the port access road unless private sector players made a firm commitment.

Cllr Peter Jones, leader of East Sussex County Council, said: 'We do have a definite agreement on the table that meets the requirements of a deadline we set in September. It s now a matter of making it happen. All the key players are in agreement and I am very pleased that the NEP has agreed to take our proposals forward to SEEDA.