Royal visit as Queen visits i54 site

  • Post published:30th October 2014
  • Post Category:Local News

HM The Queen is opening the new Jaguar Land Rover engine plant at i54 on Thursday 30th October. We are flying the Royal Standard and the Union Flag outside the Civic Centre to mark the occasion. The new plant is creating 1,400 jobs – majority of which will be taken by local people.

I54 South Staffordshire is a unique partnership development between Wolverhampton City Council, Staffordshire County Council and South Staffordshire Council.

Back in 2011, in the midst of the recession, the safeguarding of 550 jobs at aviation giants Moog and scientific laboratory firm Eurofins, thanks to their relocation to i54, coupled with Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) announcement that it was to build its new engine manufacturing centre at the site, was a major boost for the UK economy and a vote of confidence in the area’s position at the forefront of modern, world class engineering.

The success of i54, part of the Black Country Enterprise Zone, is the result of hard work and long-term planning by three different councils – a district, city and county – united to stimulate growth, create jobs and make i54 a development with international significance.

Wolverhampton City Council and Staffordshire County Council have invested over £40m to build the motorway junction and site infrastructure. The investment will be repaid from future business rates collected from the site by South Staffordshire Council. The engineering works, led by the County Council, are the largest civil engineering undertaking in its history.

Securing the four current businesses, representing 2,000 jobs, 1.3million sqft of floorspace and £600m of investment, has resulted in the Black Country Enterprise Zone being the best performing Enterprise Zone in the country.

Extensive work continues to ensure communities and businesses in Wolverhampton and Staffordshire benefit from the development including: recruitment and apprenticeship programmes; and meet the buyer events to promote supply chain opportunities; and the continued marketing of the remaining land at i54 to prospective occupiers.

Close Menu