Major businesses across South Cumbria are pulling together to create the biggest economic development the area has seen in three decades. The Furness Economic Development Forum was launched from an initiative led by Barrow MP John Woodcock – and saw businesses keen to get on board.

Over the past year a core group of representatives from BAE Systems, Barrow Borough Council, Furness Enterprise and Furness College has been developing the strategic Furness Economic Delivery Plan 2014 -2017: Sustaining a National Cradle for Advanced Manufacturing.

The project will see a £20bn investment ploughed into Barrow’s businesses in the next six to 12 years, which equates to the same level of investment as hosting one and a half Olympic Games.

The Event was launched at Furness College on Friday 5th December 2014. The Forum hosted a panel of project leaders yesterday, consisting of Jackie Arnold, head of strategy at BAE, Phil Huck, executive director of Barrow Borough Council, Anne Attwood, principal of Furness College, and Stuart Klosinski, industrial development manager of Furness Enterprise.

Aiming to highlight the group’s initial strategies and to promote the ambitious project to businesses in and around Furness, the Forum also wanted to secure further support in the area to help establish Cumbria as a business base for the world. The investment highlighted areas for improvement which are focused on encouraging the younger generation to exploit the opportunities ahead by recognising the importance of skills development and the importance of apprenticeship programmes and other learning opportunities available at the college.

Anne Attwood, principal at the college said: "We are working hard to grow our own skills capabilities in the area, whilst looking at ways to attract in talent to ensure we meet the future skills needs of the area." Phil Huck, executive director of Barrow Borough Council, said that improving the infrastructure is a necessity to turn the plans into a reality. He told the meeting that, with ambitious proposals including the electrification of the Furness line by 2020 and improvements to the A590, the facilitation of Barrow’s big expansion is far more likely to succeed.

Mr Huck also pointed out that more needs to be done to attract people into the Furness area. He said: “People need to live and work here. We need a thriving cultural offering, with sports and arts opportunities to bring people and to drive the town centre.” Stuart Klosinski, industrial development manager of Furness Enterprise, said he thinks the Forum should also turn their attention to smaller businesses and offer help and support to help them move up a rung of the ladder.

Dubbed by delegates as “inspiring”, “exciting” and “interesting”, the expansion plans appear to have ticked all the right boxes for Barrow’s business leaders. Overarching thoughts from the Forum detailed that all businesses in the area must jump on board to ensure the success of the project.

Jackie Arnold, chairman of the Forum, said she is eager to register the support of other businesses in the area. She said: “The delivery plan is a forward-thinking list of priorities that will require widespread input and buy-in from a number of sectors. We are looking for support of key groups and commitment in helping to implement the plan. These are exciting times for Furness and it is important that residents and companies in the area are aware of the potential growth – and harness the opportunities available wherever possible.”