Opportunities for investment in the West of England

Unlocking mass transit for the West of England will have a transformative effect for the economy and residents.

Our plans for a modern, integrated mass transit system will reshape how people move across the region, connecting communities to jobs, education and opportunity. It will reduce congestion, cut emissions and support inclusive, sustainable growth.

Beyond its public value, mass transit represents a major opportunity for private sector investment. Catalytic devolved infrastructure funding will kickstart delivery, but long-term success will depend on strong public–private partnerships.

Across the UK and globally, mass transit systems have unlocked billions in private investment across construction, service delivery, maintenance and rolling stock. Investors are drawn to the long-term returns, stable demand and regeneration potential that transit corridors create.

In the West of England, we will explore new financing mechanisms, from land value capture and joint ventures to green finance and approaches to revenue sharing. Transit-oriented development will unlock commercial and residential growth, creating high-value investment zones around new hubs.

We will work with delivery partners to ensure the system is future-proofed, digitally enabled, climate resilient and designed for modal integration. Private sector expertise will be vital in shaping smart ticketing, fleet electrification and service innovation.

This is more than infrastructure — it is a platform for regional transformation. For investors, it is a chance to be part of a legacy project that delivers economic, environmental and social returns for decades to come.

Growing Engine West, home to advanced manufacturing and security expertise that is central to the developing West Innovation Arc.

The West of England is home to one of Europe’s largest aerospace clusters, anchored by Airbus, Rolls‑Royce, GKN and the Ministry of Defence at Filton, alongside the Bristol and Bath Science Park and a dense network of SMEs.

This industrial base, together with emerging strengths in space and AI, positions the region to lead the UK in future engineering — securing national capability in aerospace, defence and advanced manufacturing while generating significant economic growth.

The region is well placed to unlock billions of private and institutional investment, sustain thousands of high‑value jobs and establish the UK as a global leader in future flight, resilient space and AI‑enabled engineering. Investment opportunities across this priority include:

The Space Innovation Centre of Excellence builds on a regional base of more than 80 companies and 250 across the wider South West. With secure, open‑access facilities for assembly, integration and validation of space systems, it will support products of critical economic and security importance. A UK Space ISAC and Test Range, linked to the global Space ISAC network, will address vulnerabilities to cyber and electromagnetic threats, safeguarding the space‑based services that underpin 16% of UK GDP.

Facing an industry productivity challenge citing up to 20% of factory time and cost attributed to material assurance and certification, the future of UK manufacturing depends on investment in our digital capability. The UK’s Advanced Product Assurance Centre (APAC) is an industry‑led, triple‑helix programme taking R&D through to commercial development, at the heart of our AI supercluster. It will deliver a flagship national capability shaping new global standards and securing first‑mover advantage for firms in regulated and fast‑moving markets.

Together, these facilities will reinforce the UK’s resilience and provide a secure platform for export growth in the global space economy, forecast to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035, and the global market for testing, inspection and validation which is expected to reach $328 billion by 2030.

Developing engineering biology scale‑up infrastructure will enable industry to develop and commercialise innovations in sustainable materials, alternative proteins, agritech and novel therapeutics, and strengthen the UK’s position in a rapidly expanding global bioeconomy.

The AI supercluster connects these capabilities with advanced compute power through Isambard 3 and Isambard AI supercomputers, enabling the use of digital twins, AI‑enabled modelling and secure simulation across aerospace, defence and space.

To support these growth opportunities, we are exploring partnerships between industry and education providers to build skills pipelines in technical excellence, including construction, aerospace and defence.

Building the West of England AI supercluster will capitalise on fast‑growing strength in digital and technologies, particularly around Bristol Temple Quarter. Capability and assets across the West Innovation Arc and North Somerset Gateway will underpin the growth of this supercluster; it will be a genuine region‑wide investment opportunity.

The West of England has the ingredients to create the UK’s first AI supercluster, a globally competitive ecosystem where research, infrastructure, talent and industry adoption come together to accelerate growth. Anchored in the Bristol and Bath Growth Zone and with strong links to the West Innovation Arc, the first phase brings together national assets like Isambard 3 and Isambard AI — two of the world’s most powerful supercomputers — alongside the Bristol Digital Futures Institute, the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, Science Creates, CFMS and a network of innovative SMEs.

Phase two focuses on industrialising AI at scale by creating the physical and digital infrastructure businesses need to translate ideas into commercial products and services.

An AI Industrialisation Centre of Excellence would open access to supercomputing and AI tools, enabling companies to shorten design cycles, accelerate drug discovery and cut the cost of developing next‑generation technologies.

In parallel, scaling CFMS into a National Centre for Modelling and Simulation would provide UK industry with secure, affordable access to AI‑enabled modelling, robotics and digital twin capabilities, filling a critical national gap and helping firms de‑risk innovation.

By clustering world‑class compute, AI expertise and translational infrastructure in one place, the region would create a magnet for inward investment and talent, support firms to scale faster and increase productivity through earlier adoption of AI‑enabled processes. Over time, the AI supercluster could capture £10–15bn in economic value and embed the West of England as the UK’s leading hub for applied AI.

Establishing the West of England Creative Campus will bring a range of investment opportunities across the Central Bristol and Bath Growth Zone, home to a diverse and growing set of creative industries.

With its unique mix of cultural heritage, digital innovation and global reach, the West of England is already home to one of the UK’s fastest‑growing creative sectors, with internationally significant strengths in film, television, games, music, fashion and immersive media.

Our creative campus will create the West of England TV and Film Centre, enabling the expansion of large‑scale screen production and innovation facilities in Bristol and creating one of the UK’s most competitive centres for film and television. By linking production capacity with creative tech R&D in immersive media, robotics and AI, Bristol is shaping the future of storytelling and content innovation.

Building on the West of England Creative Growth pilot, we will establish a Creative Industries Scale‑Up programme, matching investors with regional opportunities and attracting new investment to our thriving sector.

In Bath, the city’s heritage and design strengths anchor the campus, with the Fashion Museum’s move to the Old Post Office adding to a wider cultural offer. A region‑wide Creative Skills Academy will serve as an open front door into the sector, supporting freelancers, start‑ups and SMEs to grow, diversify and export while opening new routes to overseas markets.

By uniting Bath’s heritage‑led fashion ecosystem, Bristol’s global screen sector and a network of regional creative hubs, the West of England can create a creative industries campus of international significance that delivers high‑value jobs and supports businesses to create opportunities for residents.

Clean Energy West will drive expansion of the region’s clean energy portfolio by leveraging the fast‑growing industries rooted in the Severn Estuary Growth Zone.

With world‑class strength in clean energy innovation and advanced manufacturing, the West of England is positioned to become a national anchor for clean energy. The portfolio offers investable opportunities that can accelerate the UK’s energy transition, anchor industrial supply chains and generate long‑term prosperity.

Opportunities include tidal energy in the Severn Estuary; the Bristol Wind Terminal at Avonmouth for Floating Offshore Wind; expansion of the UK’s densest nuclear cluster including potential Small Modular Reactors at Oldbury with a complementary Global Nuclear Innovation and Skills Centre; ARCHER, a hydrogen and electric propulsion research and testing centre at IAAPS; and scalable community energy programmes and heat networks building on Bristol’s leading position.

The region has the skills, infrastructure and industrial base to translate innovation into delivery and attract investment, providing capacity to support and accelerate national priorities as they evolve.

Our Somer Valley Growth Zone will create co‑investment opportunities in advanced manufacturing and clean energy, and act as a national blueprint for rural productivity.

The Somer Valley offers the chance to establish the UK’s first testbed for rural productivity — a place where advanced manufacturing, construction and green industries are harnessed to show how rural economies can lead in innovation and growth.

Anchored by the Somer Valley Enterprise Zone with capacity for 40,000 sqm of modern employment space and 1,300 jobs, the zone will enable businesses to grow in advanced materials, low‑carbon construction, hydrogen, retrofit and battery technologies.

As a testbed, it will pilot low‑carbon construction and retrofit demonstrators, green‑industry accelerators for SMEs, rural digitalisation pilots and skills pipelines linked to Bath College Somer Valley Campus. The testbed will connect into the wider regional ecosystem, drawing on capabilities in the West Innovation Arc, the AI supercluster and the Severn Estuary clean energy cluster.

The North Somerset Growth Gateway offers the dual opportunity of investment in innovative production and manufacturing, and growth opportunities in digital technology and its supply chain, stemming from the new Epic Campus.

Epic’s European headquarters will create 2,150 high‑quality jobs in digital and technologies and is forecast to generate £140m GVA per year, catalysing wider supply‑chain investment. With support already in place to grow supply chains and employment, additional sites will accommodate spin‑off opportunities.

At the Junction 21 Enterprise Area in Weston‑super‑Mare, a proposed Phase 2 of the FoodworksSW Innovation Centre would expand capacity for growth‑ready food and drink companies. The enterprise area has strong interest from manufacturing and logistics firms focused on advanced technology and clean‑energy logistics.

Bristol Airport’s expansion to 12 million passengers per year, alongside its Aviation Carbon Transition programme, adds further innovation momentum. Investment in mass transit and active travel will connect growth, while green corridors will enhance habitats, biodiversity and renewables across the gateway.