Freeport Bid For Gatwick Airport, At Crawley's Manor Royal Business District

Could there be a "Gatwick Freeport"?

The "Coast To Capital" Local Enterprise Partnership covering much of Sussex has send a bid to the Treasury to get "Freeport" status for the Manor Royal Business District, immediately adjacent to Gatwick Airport.

The LEP said on Friday evening (February 5) that the purpose of a freeport would be to drive post-Covid and post-Brexit recovery in Crawley.

Already, Manor Royal is known for its cluster of businesses including prominent enterprises with high technology and aims centred around innovation, including Thales, Varian and Elekta.

A freeport, an internationally recognised special economic area, receives by agreement 'generous' tax reliefs, simplified customs procedures and government support in a broader sense. 

The hope of Coast To Capital is to let the freeport create thousands of jobs, regenerate the community, and assist general economic growth in the UK.

In a statement, the partnership said its members believe that Crawley has lost an estimated £2.5 billion in productivity since the start of the pandemic.

It claimed Gatwick Airport traffic declined by 78% in 2020, and a very high percentage of the Crawley workforce are either furloughed or claiming benefits.

The vision is that freeport status would support the safeguarding and creation of jobs and help the recovery of the aviation sector, thereby avoiding the real risk of long-term, mass unemployment in Crawley.

Plans should provide import and export incentives, unlock major infrastructure upgrades, and enhance the delivery of a potential new multi-million pound Innovation Centre.

Coast to Capital said its members had worked in close collaboration with partners to the Freeport bid, including Gatwick Airport, Crawley Borough, Manor Royal BID, and West Sussex County Council.

If approved, proposals could be developed immediately, reaping big rewards for the local economy.

Henry Smith MP (Crawley Constituency) said:

“Gatwick along with Manor Royal are important drivers for the local economy and employment which also represents a significant net contribution to the UK as a whole.

“However the COVID-19 pandemic is at real risk of levelling down the area, therefore with the new opportunities of global Britain, a free port based on Gatwick and Crawley’s Manor Royal business district has the real potential to build back better, stronger and more diverse, enhancing regional and national wellbeing.”

Councillor Peter Lamb, Leader of Crawley Borough Council added:

“Crawley Borough Council is working very hard with partners to ensure that we can recover quickly from the devastating impact of COVID-19 on our local economy.

"The Gatwick Freeport bid is one of several major initiatives which confirm Crawley as a vital player in the UK economy.”

For West Sussex County Council, its leading councillor responsible for the economy, Bob Lanzer, emphasised:

“I wholeheartedly support Coast to Capital’s bid to create a new Freeport at Gatwick Airport and the Manor Royal Business District.

"The Crawley economy has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic and this innovative approach stands to bring a huge boost to Crawley and in turn the region’s economy."

The ‘Gatwick Freeport bid’ was submitted on Friday alongside an estimated 30 bids from across the UK.

Ten bids are set to be announced by spring this year.