Business park back on track

A BID to build a business park creating up to 1,500 jobs in the Seaford and Newhaven area is back on track.

East Sussex County Council and Newhaven Eastside developer Bannertown both confirmed this week that talks had been a success.

Cllr Daphne Bagshawe, deputy leader of the council, said: This has been a long and complex issue but we do now have a way forward that will reduce the cost to council taxpayers but still deliver the new jobs and regeneration of Newhaven we are all keen to see.

The future of the 25 million business park was thrown into chaos at the end of the summer after the council threatened to withdraw vital cash needed to build a port access road to the site.

Threatened

Bannertown wants to build a business park with two huge call centres at its hub on the Eastside land.

However, black clouds loomed when the council, which had borrowed 500,000 to compulsorily purchase land for the road, threatened to pull out if it did not receive a firm commitment to the project. Some councillors had suggested it was better for the council to cut its losses and run if the scheme was unlikely to go ahead.

Bannertown and the Eastside landowners , the Baker Trust, hit back accusing the council of trying to wriggle out to the deal because of cash flow problems.

In the meantime the council demanded Bannertown, the Baker Trust and Parker Pen, which owns part of the land needed for the road, come up with a proposal which would reduce the cost to taxpayers. Behind-the-scenes negotiations now mean it will cost the council as much to stick with the project as pull out.

Cllr Bagshawe said: There are huge budget pressures on the county council and many competing demands on our funds. I am very pleased that our partners in the private sector have understood this and come up with a way forward.

Tony Beadle, managing director of Bannertown, said a gruelling series of meetings had sealed the deal.

It has been a lot of hard work, but all these meetings have been very constructive. I am absolutely delighted that everyone has worked together to get this back on track.

If all goes to plan, work will begin in January, with the first units occupied by summer 2002.