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Birmingham city centre could be home to one of the government’s 21 enterprise zones. Proposals have been put forward by the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP board, as plans for a zone in the Etruria Valley in Staffordshire were also unveiled.

Chancellor George Osborne revealed plans to create 21 zones across the country in his Budget speech last month, and earmarked Birmingham and Solihull as one of ten locations.

The zones aim to boost employment and investment, with tax breaks, increased capital allowances and ‘light touch’ planning regulations.

Plans for a zone to be created in Birmingham city centre have been submitted to government after a meeting of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP yesterday.

The board also said it would put forward plans for a second phase, which would see the creation of an enterprise belt covering the remaining area of the LEP, which is one of the largest in the UK.

Bridget Blow, interim chair of the LEP, told reporters that she hoped the government would see the proposals as a “compelling business case for government to grant our proposals for creating both an enterprise zone and an enterprise belt”.

Proposals for one of the further 11 zones have been submitted by business leaders in Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent. It would be centered on the Etruria Valley.

Any submissions of interest have to be tendered to the government by the end of April.

The vice-chairman of Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire’s LEP board, Stephen Burgin, said: “All the board members are united in our determination to put growth and prosperity centre stage for Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire. Together we can build a bid that will deliver opportunities for business to establish, grow and develop.”