JANUARY 10, 2006

Building in Norfolk

The Breckland Council, which oversees a large area of Norfolk, is planning a major investment to establish a Rural Enterprise Valley, a 44-acre site near Thetford designed to house hi-tech motorsport and engineering businesses to bolster the area's motorsport industry. The intention is to raise the profile of the region through motorsport activities.

The Norfolk area has been attracting motorsport operations since the establishment of Team Lotus near Norfolk in the 1960s. Today it is the home of Van Diemen, the GP2 teams Super Nova Racing and iSport and the Racing Technology Norfolk operation, an offshoot of the Volkswagen/Audi Group. There are also smaller operations such as P1 Motorsport and Nexa Racing and there will soon be a major boost with the opening of the Norfolk Centre of Engineering Excellence. There are also plans for a new business park at the Snetterton racing circuit.