£3.3m to speed up development of ISZ sites

Docks and facilities at Plymouth and South Devon Freeport. Photo: Oceansgate, for Plymouth City Council.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has awarded £3.3 million in Site Accelerator Grants to 16 projects across the UK’s network of Industrial Strategy Zones (ISZs), helping to unlock progress on strategically important sites. ISZs drive growth and create jobs in the Industrial Strategy growth-driving sectors they specialise in, from Clean Energy Industries in the Humber to Defence in Plymouth and South Devon.

Site Accelerator Grants are providing short-term, targeted funding to sites within ISZs to help them resolve the practical and technical challenges that must be addressed before major development can begin. These include planning and design work, environmental and utilities assessments, feasibility studies and technical scoping, which can often stall otherwise viable sites for months or even years. By supporting this preparatory groundwork, the grants are intended to accelerate progress and give local partners the tools they need to move high-potential sites into delivery more quickly.

The breadth of applications received demonstrates demand for targeted intervention and highlights the challenges facing sites across the network. Getting sites ready for investment is complex and frequently underestimated. The grant reflects the Government’s commitment to maintaining momentum and ensuring that ISZs remain at the heart of the UK’s growth agenda.

Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Steve Reed said:

“From offshore wind manufacturing on the Humber to new clean energy facilities in Pembrokeshire, this backing for our Freeports will generate real economic growth across the country. 

“By tackling the barriers that developers face early on, we’re helping to unlock significant private investment and create thousands of good jobs in clean energy and advanced manufacturing’.

List of projects:

1. Humber Freeport / Goole Tax Site — £350,000 — Grid scoping and biodiversity study to de-risk infrastructure and unlock development.
2. Humber Freeport / Hull East — £460,000 — Refreshed masterplan and infrastructure design to restore investor confidence in clean energy and chemical production.
3. Humber / Able Humber Port — £490,000 — Updated business case, legal advice and technical designs to unlock a major new quay and offshore wind supply chain hub.
4. Plymouth and South Devon Freeport — £255,000 — Rapid review of planning obstacles across three tax sites to accelerate defence and marine autonomy development.
5. Solent / Navigator Quarter — £200,000 — Early road access infrastructure and independent commercial review to unlock a major mixed-use development site.
6. LCR Freeport / Dock Road, Wirral — £97,559 — Feasibility study to assess redevelopment options for a key Wirral Waters gateway site.
7. Forth Green Freeport / Queensferry One, Rosyth — £306,142 — Pre-construction groundworks to enable a 50,000 sq ft commercial development on a former MoD site.
8. Forth Green Freeport / Utilities Study — £100,000 — Grid capacity baseline study to support advanced manufacturing and green energy investment planning.
9. Inverness and Cromarty Firth / Dunskaith Industrial Land — £110,000 earmarked — Surveys and master planning to unlock an undeveloped site for SME industrial space.
10. Inverness and Cromarty Firth / Port of Inverness — £150,000 earmarked — Environmental surveys and coastal modelling to enable a new barge berth for pump-hydro projects.
11. Inverness and Cromarty Firth / Biodiversity Plan — £34,000 earmarked — Freeport-wide strategic biodiversity plan to streamline consenting and support nature recovery.
12. Celtic Freeport / Criterion Quay, Pembroke — £213,000 — Technical and commercial assessments to build a viable business case for floating offshore wind O&M infrastructure.
13. Celtic Freeport / Talbot Wharf, Port Talbot — £265,000 — Land remediation works to improve the viability of development sites for future floating offshore wind supply chain occupiers.
14. Celtic Freeport / Port Talbot Marine Infrastructure — £160,000 — Feasibility and design work for refurbishing two jetties to support future import/export activity.
15. Anglesey Freeport / Highway Assessment — £162,000 (split with next project)— Assessment of highway upgrades needed to meet planning requirements and unlock long-vacant development sites.
16. Anglesey Freeport / Grid Capacity Assessment — Comprehensive grid study across multiple tax sites to accelerate connections and support renewable energy integration.

Industrial Strategy Zones bring together Freeports and Investment Zones under a single, modernised framework and are central to delivering the Government’s modern Industrial Strategy. There are 22 Industrial Strategy Zones across all four nations of the UK – 17 of them are now open.

The application window opened on 11 November 2025 and closed on 31 December 2025. A total of 22 proposals were received and following a structured assessment and moderation process, 16 projects were selected for funding. Funding agreements have been issued – all funding is expected to be spent within the 2025/26 financial year.

Investment in Scotland and Wales has been agreed jointly with the Scottish and Welsh Governments.