London, March 5, 2020 – Salamanca Group’s principal investment, Gravity, the UK’s first commercial smart campus – was featured on the BBC Ten O’clock News last night regarding the need for the South-West to be given equal consideration in the upcoming Budget.
Our Chairman, Martin Bellamy, spoke with Alex Forsyth about the need for greater regional investment from Government, enabling the South West’s infrastructure and mobility offering to develop in line with the rest of the UK. This interview comes in response to the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government ambition to “level up” economic performance in all parts of the country.
You can watch the full interview below.
Gravity’s partners, the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership have submitted a proposal to the Government on its levelling up agenda: Rebalancing the Economy and the Great South West consortium has written to the Treasury asking for £2m in the Budget to help kick start plans to create the UK’s first clean energy powerhouse, in which Gravity plays a pivotal role.
About Salamanca Group
Salamanca Group is a privately-held Merchant Banking business, home to experts in global investment and advisory, with a focus on real estate. Salamanca Group’s real estate team has operated across the globe, purchasing land, developing sites and buying businesses related to the sector. The Group’s focus is on large projects in the UK having divested many of its overseas assets. The Group works with clients to enable their business, protect their assets and grow their capital.
About Gravity
Gravity, the UK’s first commercial smart campus, is the blueprint for a smarter, cleaner future – faster. It will deliver a new era of possibility by supporting companies making a difference socially, economically and environmentally, driving the UK’s shift to growing through a cleaner economy.
With direct access to the M5 and accessible by rail, air and sea, the site offers over 635 acres for the creation of millions of sq ft of scalable, flexible and shared working space.
Multinationals and start-ups will benefit from the excellent connectivity and speed of build out Gravity offers. By attracting today’s giants and tomorrow’s unicorns, there will be significant opportunities for collaboration.
With its on-site water provision, renewable and low carbon energy infrastructure and building energy management, dark fibre, excellent transport links, accessible talent pool and knowledge economy including four top-tier universities close by, Gravity provides occupiers with the ability to build, expand, and develop faster and efficiently.
About Heart of the South West LEP
Local Enterprise Partnerships are playing a vital role in driving forward economic growth across the country, helping to build a country that works for everyone. That’s why by 2021 Government will have invested over £12bn through the Local Growth Fund, allowing LEPs to use their local knowledge to get all areas of the country firing on all cylinders. The Heart of the South West LEP’s total Growth Deal is worth £598m; including £239m from Government and £351m match funding. Over the lifetime of the Growth Deal: 2015 – 2021; HotSW LEP estimates the investment will create up to 26,930 new jobs and 18,242 new homes.
Heart of the South West’s portfolio of Enterprise Zones across three strategic sites offer discounted business rates and investment opportunities in key HotSW sectors: Marine at Oceansgate in Plymouth; Innovation and Clean Growth at Gravity in Somerset and Big Data and Environmental Futures at the Exeter and East Devon Enterprise Zone. For more information visit: www.heartofswlep.co.uk/doing-business-in-our-area/enterprise-zones/