Haven Waterway Enterprise Zone chairman Nick Bourne gives his monthly update.

“The coming year promises to be very important for the development of the Haven Waterway Enterprise Zone.

“Last year was all about putting in place the foundations to allow us to deliver economic growth and job creation within the zone.

“Our key achievements include laying the foundations for next generation broadband to be available in the enterprise zone this spring.

“There were also 24 successful applications for enterprise zone business rates relief from businesses within the zone and hopefully we will see them reap the benefits form that this year.

“We made progress in generating interest in the development of the Blackbridge and Waterston sites.

“Blackbridge offers potential access to deep water berthing, the last site available in the Haven with this capacity, while Waterston offers a rail connection into the National Rail network and around 70 acres of land for development.

“Both sites will be crucial to the future growth of the zone and hopefully 2014 will see significant progress in developing this land for energy related and port development projects.

“I was also pleased last year with the number of working relationships established with partners in the private, public and academic sectors to drive forward plans to develop the skilled workforce among local people that will be needed for the future success of the zone. I am now very excited by the challenge of building on this good work to start delivering results in 2014.

“Hopefully we will begin to see some of the fruits of our labour during the coming year. But the enterprise zone board are not underestimating the hard work that lies ahead to ensure we capitalise on the progress made last year.

“The minister for economy, science and transport recently set out how that progress will be measured, when she published five performance indicators.

“Those core performance indicators will enable progress to be measured in key areas such as jobs supported, level of investment, land development, business support and number of enquiries across enterprise zones.

“The first report on how we have done against those five indicators will be published by the Minister in May, and annually thereafter. So now we know how our results will be measured, 2014 will be about making sure we deliver those results.

“I am looking forward to the challenges ahead and the opportunity to build a lasting legacy in the Haven Waterway Enterprise Zone and for the wider economy of Pembrokeshire and beyond.”