Incredible time for town's business
Wednesday 2nd January 2008Yarmouth council leader Barry Coleman has urged businesses in the town to get involved in its exciting commercial future.
He told local firms that 2007 had been an absolutely incredible year and there were more exciting times to come.
The start of construction of the £50m outer harbour in June was seen as the catalyst for a cascade of regeneration across the borough.
Mr Coleman also said that after three years of planning, regeneration company 1st East was moving forward and a recent event in the House of Commons attracted more than 100 potential property developers and investors for both Yarmouth and Lowestoft.
Inward investment saw more than 100 new businesses started up in the year, thanks mainly to the Enterprise-GY programme.
The boroughs premier business location, Beacon Park, had attracted new investors and the retail market was boosted by a £7.8m project to redevelop the Market Gates shopping centre.
Mr Coleman said that during 2007 nearly 350 companies had been active in the town in the offshore oil and gas industry.
Tourism remained at heart of the local economy with Yarmouth ranked the UK's third-largest holiday resort, generating an annual turnover of nearly £450m, and attracting around five million visitors a year.
