26 December 2007

Green Business Parks In Coventry

If Coventry had acted first, this type of business park would have created 7500 jobs.

The London Development Agency and Livingstone's advisors have held talks with Ford officials to persuade the car giant to base its worldwide green car division at the Dagenham docks site near its diesel engine manufacturing plant. They hope that Ford will eventually produce hydrogen-powered cars there. Talks have begun with universities on basing their environmental technology departments at the business park. The site, which is largely owned by the London Development Agency, would host a plastic and electric product recycling centre and a major solar power assembly plant.
It's taking place on the site of a former car factory. East London is recreating its industrial base for the 21st century. It's something that Coventry should be trying to do, to be the centre of the "new" car industry for the next 100 years.

As Caroline Lucas, one of our two Green MEPs, has said, "a low-carbon future isn't a future of shivering around a candle in a cave."

Pursuing a Green industrial policy for Coventry would have us secure "first mover advantage" when it comes to this sort of business park.

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