A new Innovation Park, which eventually aims to create 2,500 new jobs, has opened.

South Dorset MP Richard Drax opened the new, 50-hectare Dorset Innovation Enterprise Zone in Winfrith. It is one of 44 in the UK and benefits from business rates reductions and ultra-fast broadband.

It is fully publicly-owned and has been developed by Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Dorset County Council and Purbeck District Council.

The zone is already home to two world leaders in defence technology–Atlas Elektronik and Qinetiq–and hopes to attract many more businesses in the marine, aerospace, defence and energy areas, creating 2,000 new highly skilled jobs over the next 25 years.

Mr Drax said: “I am honoured to launch this Enterprise Zone which promises so much and will richly enhance job prospects in my constituency. The initiative and others in the area–up to 60 new jobs being created by a maritime engineering company at Portland Port–are testament to the hard work that is going on across the board to improve people’s career prospects and choices.”

In the long term, there is hope that the new development can help generate income for the country.

Mr Drax said: “I think it important to note that our country still sits on a financial cliff-edge with a national debt of some £1.8 trillion.

“That’s costing us in interest some £50 billion a year–a truly terrifying figure.

“With the pressure on the public sector as never before we as a country must generate more income and therefore more tax to pay for it all.

“This enterprise zone and others around the country are an integral part of that plan. Then it’s up to skill and dash of entrepreneurs and businessmen and women to create prosperity and jobs.

“We as a government must create the environment to allow these aspirations to become a reality.”

Mr Drax asked the audience to support Weymouth College.

He said: “Can I urge business leaders here and those who will come to work closely with the College and back it to the hilt. The college offers hope and career prospects to many young people down here.”

Hosts, Atlas Elektronik, were later thanked by Mr Drax.

He said: “No company better epitomises what we want here and their contribution to the local economy, jobs and prosperity is impressive to say the least.”