Newhaven Enterprise Zone

Newhaven Unleashed

Realising our Potential

Launched in 2023, our three-year plan sets out seven programme areas for priority actions, including three grant programmes. The plan and interventions have been designed to prioritise investment that provides the necessary infrastructure and support to improve economic productivity, accelerate business growth and investment, create jobs and ensure that work provides a genuine route out of poverty and exclusion through better quality jobs and higher wages.

By 2030, Newhaven Enterprise Zone will have been a proven catalyst to support sustainable, good economic growth and business resilience, helping to deliver a new era for Newhaven.

Our latest paper, “Newhaven Unleashed: Realising our Potential”, provides an overview of our recent activities and highlights the priorities for our next round of investments in Newhaven.

Click on the image opposite to read the full document.

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Note: Applications to this fund have now closed.

A proportion of the NEZ funding is allocated for investment in economic growth and regeneration projects, specifically to match fund growth and place-based programmes and projects.

A small proportion of this Investment Fund can also be used for feasibility and technical work to structure and develop transformational projects.

This funding pot supports transformational projects from the public or private sector which meet these criteria:

  • Support our strategic objectives
  • Leverage investment (a minimum of 1:1)
  • Demonstrate impact and benefits
  • Demonstrate value for money

Funding support is provided through capital grant arrangements.

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Note: The funding period closes on 30 January, 2026.

This fund finances feasibility studies, masterplans, site investigations, pre-planning and business case development to support the case for commercial sites that have remained undeveloped for over twelve months to raise finance.

The fund is open to all businesses and landowners located in the Newhaven Enterprise Zone sites. A minimum of 40% match funding is required up to a maximum grant of £25,000.

Projects need to meet these criteria:

  • Support our strategic objectives
  • Leverage investment (a minimum of 1:1)
  • Demonstrate impact and benefits
  • Demonstrate value for money
  • Will be delivered within a 12-month period
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The NEZ supports key sectors that have competitive advantage and can offer real growth opportunities in the town.

a. CREATIVE

Valuing creative freedom is a key pillar to Newhaven’s proposition, underpinned by quantitative and qualitative evidence that points to the need for investment in this sector.

Initial work has scoped the resource needed to build the capacity and infrastructure to support creative growth while also creating an unrivalled programme of events to challenge any negative perceptions about the place. The aim is to animate the public spaces in and around the town that are earmarked for future redevelopment and demonstrate that investing now will create confidence in Newhaven’s direction of travel and attract early adopters (creative workspace, food offer, and so on).

Creative Newhaven has already achieved early successes in terms of the quality of programming, reach and leveraging investment. It has a full-time Creative Producer, hosted by the Towner Partnership, who is successfully building effective and collaborative working through the Creative Newhaven platform.

More about Creative

b. MARINE

Newhaven is a place that has always been intrinsically linked with marine and water. It has a strong fishing tradition as well as the potential to support a wider food and drink offer, along with the outdoor activities linked to a strong marine-influenced leisure offer.

As part of building a vibrant place and local economy, education in marine-related study through the Marine Hub and marine workshops is important. Activity linked to green energy would be appropriate for Newhaven and would give clear focus.

Support needs to be given to investing in Newhaven Marine to understand the interventions required, especially with regard to expert advice and collaborative, flexible solutions that look beyond Newhaven.

Partnerships can be developed with the cluster of London Ports, of which Newhaven is one, but also along the south coast, to develop and innovate solutions around green fuels, waste, access to markets and, importantly, marine skills.

The marine workshops provides a physical hub on the waterside to focus on work and share experiences, but also to make a strong statement of intent that Newhaven is a marine centre.

More about Marine
Note: The funding period closes on 30 January, 2026.

The Low Carbon Investment Fund is for any company operating in Newhaven that wishes to pursue business growth by developing low carbon products and/or incorporating low carbon processes or services. This may be achieved through pure research and development (R&D), capital investment or environmental aid support.

This grant is primarily focused on supporting projects that help the transition to a low carbon economy. This may include, but is not limited to, developing:

  • A new product or service, or introducing new technology that will use less energy, produce less waste, reduce emissions and use less raw material in its manufacture than the existing alternative.
  • New business models based on the principles of the circular economy – for example, through circular supplies, resource recovery, product life extension, use of sharing platforms or delivery of ‘product-as-a-service’.

Projects need to meet these criteria:

  • SME business operating in Newhaven
  • Leverage investment (25% match funding)
  • Demonstrate net zero benefits
  • Will be delivered within a 12-month period
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Significant investment is taking place to transform Newhaven town centre and high street.

As a key Enterprise Zone site, resources are being allocated to work with key stakeholders, including public agencies, to test and develop appropriate management and maintenance arrangements to build capacity and structures for the future sustainable management of the town centre.

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The Newhaven story is both ambitious and aspirational, but also reflects the reality of Newhaven today.

The role of the EZ is to create confidence in the direction of travel set out, while the funding leveraged is effectively spent and projects delivered. That requires us to sustain the momentum created in order to attract occupiers for the new premises along with visitors to enjoy the wider and improved place-based leisure offer.

The key objective for our marketing and promotions is to create a media relations and social media campaign that generates continuous positive messaging about Newhaven and the Enterprise Zone across the region and the United Kingdom, in order to change perceptions, attract inward investment and boost local pride.

In addition, the fund provides marketing support to promote the business investment programmes (01, 02 and 04) to raise awareness and ensure good take up of the investment opportunities.

We have chosen a local partner, who is retained to provide this advice and deliver the campaign on our behalf with whom we work very closely.

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Note: The funding period closes on 20 February, 2026.

The NEZ Community Fund has been successful in prioritising projects that promote participation including those that point towards arts-based, active lifestyles and wellbeing programmes.

Close to £100,000 has been allocated to date and we have some great stories to share of how that has been used with great impact and value.

Operating Expenditure:

The expanded scope of the Enterprise Zone looks at the resources required to co-ordinate and manage funded workstreams and governance/oversight required of the executive team. Roles and responsibilities are evaluated and an increase in operative budget to reflect this is expected.

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