Regional leaders across the North West have joined together in support of the ‘Northern Arc’. If you are investment planning in Cheshire, the county is collaborating closely with Liverpool and Manchester on the ambitious project.
The respective Mayors of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, and the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, unveiled the proposals in a meeting with MPs and Treasury ministers. There are several different aspects to the ‘Northern Arc’, a series of economic areas across the breadth of the north of England, backed up by transport upgrades, including a new train line between Manchester and Merseyside.
The city regions have consulted with independent economists to assess the longer-term prospects of this regional ‘supercluster’. Inspiration has been drawn from the Oxford-Cambridge Arc model, which is widely considered to be the one to follow in terms of wooing investment and innovation.
Regional leaders are convinced the plans present a significant opportunity to boost growth across the area. Analysis by Metro Dynamics economists has concluded that infrastructure investment has the potential to increase economic output by £90 billion over the next 15 years.
Cheshire and Warrington leaders have warmly welcomed the plans. Speaking on behalf of Cheshire East Council, Nick Mannion said the area was home to over 41,000 businesses, in industries as diverse as energy, manufacturing and life sciences, while also boasting a £3.9 billion visitor economy. He added that the ‘Northern Arc’ would boost cross-border initiatives with other authorities, while stimulating economic growth in the area.
