A new Growth Plan for Lancashire says a pipeline of major projects could bring another £20bn in public and private investment into the county over the next decade.
Lancashire Combined County Authority (LCCA)’s new Growth Plan for 2025-2035 says the county needs to exploit the potential of five high-growth sectors and on twelve “transformational” projects.
The plan, which is backed by the Lancashire Business Board, says those projects “could create thousands of high-value jobs and strengthen Lancashire’s role at the heart of the national economy”.
The five “high-growth business areas” are:
National Security and Resilience
Clean Growth and a Nuclear Renaissance
Digital and Artificial Intelligence
Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence
Culture and Tourism
The plan also says the public and private sectors will need to work together to develop the “Central Belt” M55–M65 corridor, connecting Blackpool, Preston, Blackburn and Burnley, and must collaborate on the North–South Cyber Corridor linking Lancaster, Samlesbury and Manchester. It also recommends investment in east–west transport connections.
Lancashire Business Board brings together representatives from SMEs and larger firms across the county to promote the area and to bring a business perspective to policy decisions.
Its chair Mo Isap said: “We brought our DNA to the development of the Lancashire Growth Plan, ensuring it builds on existing excellence in sectors while showing that we can deliver a step change in economic performance benefits not just the county, but the Ƶ.
“Our private sector expertise and perspective continue to inform the plan, but also strategies on transport, infrastructure, strategic development, and collaboration, detailing that Lancashire continues to be well-positioned to attract new private investment in key growth sectors.
“This prospectus showcases how Lancashire, aligned with government economic objectives, is contributing to the nation’s economic growth and that we are well positioned to play a significant role in Ƶ plc.”
Cllr Stephen Atkinson, chair of Lancashire Combined County Authority, said: “This is a plan built in Lancashire, for Lancashire, but with national impact. It reflects the scale of our ambition, the strength of our business leadership, and our determination to deliver transformational projects that create opportunities across our communities and boost the Ƶ economy.”
The flagship projects identified in the plan
Samlesbury Enterprise Zone and Innovation Hub
The plan suggests this area, also home to the National Cyber Force, can “enable transformational economic growth for all of Lancashire”. It adds that the 120-acre site is “primed to become a hub of world-class innovation, Industry 4.0 processes, and disruptive R&D” in areas including advanced manufacturing, cyber and robotics.
Warton Enterprise Zone (EZ), featuring the University of Lancashire’s Altitude facility
This site includes defence and aerospace giant BAE Systems alongside Altitude, which is exploring future air and space technology. The plan says the site could deliver “significant regional benefits, across multiple aviation high growth technology platforms. This includes capturing new revenue and investment from future aviation and space technology markets, with the unmanned aerial systems market expected to grow at 8% per annum, contributing £45bn to the Ƶ economy by 2030.”
Heysham Nuclear Power Stations
The existing power stations are due to operate until 2027 and 2030, while Heysham could be a site for future such power stations. The plan calls the plants “a cornerstone of Lancashire’s energy infrastructure, providing secure, low-carbon power and sustaining hundreds of skilled jobs.”
Springfields (Westinghouse Ƶ)
This site is one of the most advanced nuclear fuel-generating plants in the world, and has been operating for almost 75 years. The plan says “Recent investment helps to strengthen its role in next-generation reactor development and secures high-value jobs in advanced manufacturing.”
Blackburn Cyber Skills and Education Campus and Innovation Quarter
This site is described as “key to the delivery of a £250m investment framework for Blackburn Town Centre, the most significant development of its kind in the North West.” Funding has been secured for the £60m first phase of the campus, including a 15,000 sq ft cyber business centre, and the plan says Blackburn will be “an integral part of the Government’s North West Cyber Corridor between Lancaster and Manchester”.
Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone (EZ) and Silicon Sands
This zone has already been credited with securing more than 2,600 jobs and unlocking an estimated £300m of additional private sector development potential. The plan adds: “ 25 acres of newly unlocked commercial land is primed for development for commercial use at the EZ’s Eastern Gateway. The EZ includes the groundbreaking Silicon Sands project with the potential to become a Strategic AI and Sustainable Digital Infrastructure Hub for Lancashire and an AI growth zone.”
Blackpool Central Leisure Development
The former Central Station site at the heart of the resort is called “one of Blackpool’s most strategically essential development sites… central to the ambition of developing a unique world-class tourist destination with a vision to provide a unique leisure quarter which underpins Blackpool’s appeal as a national tourist destination”. The local authority has been looking for a new developer for the site after initial partner Nikal went into administration.
Morecambe Seafront and the Eden Effect
Eden Project Morecambe was given the green light by Government in March 2023, along with £50m of Levelling Up funding. The plan says: “Eden Project Morecambe is anticipating up to 740,000 visitors a year. It is also expected to help create over 1,250 jobs and inject £150m GVA per year into the North West economy”.
Preston Station Quarter
Preston’s 10-year City Investment Plan says close to £1bn has already invested or committed to the city over the next few years. The Preston Station Quarter Strategic Regeneration Framework includes 43 hectares of Grade A offices, housing, and public realm next to Preston Railway Station, which the plan calls “one of the most accessible locations in the North”.
Burnley Town Centre and Canalside Masterplan
The plan says Burnley’s £200m masterplan “is unlocking significant investment in education, canalside living, and digi-tech innovation, helping to transform the town into a vibrant hub for health, engineering, and AI-driven growth”. The town has already seen a £40m investment in a Canalside Campus for the University of Lancashire.
Strategic Rail Programme
This project aims to transform east-west rail connectivity across Lancashire’s Central Belt– which the plan says “will unlock growth in urban centres, expand labour markets, and improve access to education, employment and investment”.
Talbot Gateway Skills and Education Campus (Multiversity) in Blackpool
Phase 1 of the Blackpool and The Fylde College Multiversity is set for completion in 2027. Now plans are underway for Phase 2, which the plan calls “an ambitious expansion into the Talbot Gateway Central Business District to create a dynamic skills and education campus”.
