We’ve got the power! Hopes business can boom at Holbeach’s South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone after electricity boost

It is hoped that businesses can boom in the area - thanks to the arrival of much-needed energy.

Phase two of the South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone has taken a giant leap forward after being held back by a lack of available electricity.

The 17-hectare site - situated alongside the University of Lincoln’s National Centre for Food Manufacturing campus in Holbeach - aims to accommodate the rapid growth of agri-tech in the UK Food Valley.

“I believe we have now got a bit of power agreed to come there which has been holding us back,” said Coun Worth.

“We’ve been struggling because the grid is pretty much at capacity locally and so we’ve been struggling to get that extra energy, that electricity in at a local level.

“That of course has an implication when you have investors coming in. They see a nice set-up, where they want to be next the university but there’s no power.

“We’ve got enough now for phase two, it’s good news.”

Coun Worth labelled it ‘rather ironic’ that the area has been struggling for additional power at a time that plans to fill the county’s skyline with pylons to service the south east of England and create a giant wind farm off the county’s coast in the North Sea have been put forward.

An additional kick in the teeth for authorities such as South Holland and their neighbours is that they won’t be claiming the business rates from these ventures, but will house much of the infrastructure.

“You get offshore wind landing in East Lindsey so they get the business rates but we get the infrastructure, we get the big sub station,” Coun Worth added.

“You get other infrastructure in Boston and South Kesteven and none of us benefit from it at all.

“East Lindsey will be in a nice place, but that’s the way it is. I wrote to the minister about it and got a very short letter back.”