Home
About Us
Our Services 
Latest News 
Online Resources
Recruitment 
Contact Us MT Farming Sector
Government launches £15 million rural business hub project
Rural businesses are being given a boost with the launch of a new £15 million pilot project to grow the rural economy.
The Environment Minister Richard Benyon announced before Christmas the creation of Rural Growth Networks (RGNs) to help rural areas overcome obstacles to growth including poor provision of infrastructure such as super-fast broadband and mobile networks and lack of suitable premises.
Included in the funding pool will be £2.3 million to support rural enterprises led by women. In addition to the £15 million invested in the pilot schemes, businesses in RGNs will enjoy preferential status when applying for grants from Defra’s Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) – making it easier to access financial help.
The Government say RGNs will typically consist of a relatively small number of sites or “enterprise hubs” on underused business parks, brownfield sites, or sites which already have outline planning permission for industrial use.
Enterprise hubs could be generic or focus on a particular sector, for instance local food or advanced manufacturing.
It is anticipated that each pilot scheme will be run in cooperation with a council or Local Enterprise Partnership.
The closing date for applications is 31 January.
Related Links
