THERE is hope that soon to be announced Government funds could help a planned “enterprise zone” in the South of Bradford to finally progress.

A Staithgate Lane enterprise zone has been in the pipeline for a number of years, but while similar schemes in Bradford, at Gain Lane and Parry Lane, have been allocated funding, there has been little progress on the Staithgate Lane plan.

Last month it emerged that there was currently no funding available for the Staithgate Lane scheme - with other zones having been prioritised when it came to allocating funds.

But at a meeting of West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Place Panel last week it emerged that all hope was not lost.

Kate Thompson, SRO of the Enterprise Zone projects, said new funding pipelines “should start to emerge” in the coming months.

These could include Government funding schemes such as the Shared Prosperity Fund, which will provide funding for schemes in ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, the Levelling Up Fund and the Single Investment Fund.

Details of all three funds have yet to be fully announced.

Bradford based Astonish plans to expand and move to city enterprise zone

The Enterprise Zone scheme was set up to develop sites that have proved difficult, or expensive, to develop – despite being in prime locations for businesses.

The money would be used to create new access roads to the site, clear any contamination and make the sites ones that business could move into without facing huge up front costs that may otherwise put them off.

Mrs Thompson said once details of these funding streams were revealed, the Authority would look at whether it could apply for grants to kickstart any of the Enterprise Zone schemes that have yet to begin.

It may be that the money would go directly to Councils, rather than bodies like the Combined Authority - the meeting heard.