A BUSINESS partnership has made a bid for nearly £68m of government money to put towards developing a new primary school in Leominster and a new enterprise park in Ross-on-Wye.

The Marches LEP has launched a bid for funding to support 11 proposed projects across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin.

These projects include a Ross enterprise park, which would create more than 460 jobs; £5m to support the development of land for homes, employment land and a new primary school in Leominster; and the development of the proposed New Model in Technology and Enginnering (NMiTE) university.

The proposal also includes a bid for £3m each towards the development of a business incubation centre on the site of the former Shell Store building on the Enterprise Zone and the creation of a Hereford Centre for Cyber Security at Skylon Park, Rotherwas.

Chairman of the Marches LEP, Graham Wynn, said the LEP's bid was supported by its public sector partners, Herefordshire Council, Shropshire Council and Telford and Wrekin Council, as well as the three area Business Boards.

He said: "We are asking for funding for 11 projects which include not only major infrastructure and shovel ready schemes, but also proposals to help develop our workforce, by making 1,000 undergraduate and 80 post graduate places available, and investment in IT and digital equipment and training facilities that will benefit over 3,700 young people and apprentices seeking to develop their skills.

“The total cost of these projects is more than £144 million and they will create sustainable private sector jobs, starter homes and access to higher education and training for the people who live and work in the Marches."

The Marches LEP is competing with 38 other local enterprise partnerships across England for a slice of £1.8 billion of Growth Deal funding, and has submitted an application for £67.9m of funding.

This would be matched by more than £75m from the organisations and private sector partners delivering the projects.

Earlier rounds of Growth Deal funding saw the Marches LEP secure more than £75m for key transport schemes currently under way in Hereford, Shrewsbury and Telford and a further £7m to support the roll-out of superfast broadband.

A decision on funding allocations is expected to be made in the Autumn Budget statement.

The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is working towards accelerating growth for the benefit of the whole business community and the people who live and work here too.