Ed Richardson
GOVERNMENT HAS formally announced its intention to create an Industrial Development Zone between the west bank of the East London harbour and the city's airport.
The intention to designate the 364-hectare Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) is the second to be gazetted by government - the first being a 12 000 hectare development at Coega outside Port Elizabeth.
In terms of the notice in the government gazette, the final proclamation is subject to the results of a 60-day period for public comment.
The Manufacturing Development Programme Board will then review the motivation to designate the IDZ and make recommendations to government.
The East London city council is confident the project will be given the green light.
"This is a milestone in the
four-year battle and great news
in the midst of the crippling DaimlerChrysler strike," the council said in a statement.
Executive mayor Sindisile Maclean and deputy mayor Des Halley, chairman of the IDZ corporation, together with Local Economic Development and Tourism portfolio holder Albert Whittles, immediately pledged to throw their weight behind the proposed economic injection.
Halley says the IDZ corporation intends applying for a provisional operator's licence within the next two months. He said the provisional operator's licence would open a whole new world for the East London IDZ Corporation.
He said manufacturing operations were scheduled to begin early in 2003 in the allocated duty free area.
