The overarching goal of the initiative is to create a strong area of investment activity along the S5 road under construction. On 17 September this year, an agreement on the joint implementation of the economic project “S5 – A Direction for Good Investments” was signed in Żmigród.
The S5 expressway will form a transport backbone linking Lower Silesia with Greater Poland and, further on, with Poland’s national road network in the north. As a result, the Lower Silesian Voivodeship will gain an opportunity to develop areas north of Wrocław, including the vicinity of Trzebnica and Żmigród. The construction of the route will provide a strong impetus for locating investments near such well-connected areas.
– We are focusing not only on large foreign corporations. We also want to create the best conditions for running businesses for domestic small and medium-sized enterprises. It is for them that subzones of economic zones are being established along expressways and warehouse and industrial halls are being built; today, we are inviting them to investment sites along the S5 route. It will truly be a “Direction for Good Investments” – said during today’s conference Ilona Antoniszyn-Klik, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Economy.
Experience shows that transport based on modern road infrastructure is the foundation of every investment’s success. When choosing a location for their business, companies primarily look for areas whose road network guarantees the rapid transport of goods and people. S5 will therefore become a strong argument in favour of Lower Silesia in the effort to attract capital.
Speaking in full support of the project was Monika Gąsiorowska, Director of the Regional Development Office of the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency: – Not a day goes by without us inviting investors to view sites along expressways. Questions about transport accessibility are among the first asked by potential investors. Thanks to projects such as “S5 – A Direction for Good Investments”, we can guarantee them the best conditions for doing business.
The agreement’s partners join forces
The involvement of special economic zones will be a key element in the success of the “S5 – A Direction for Good Investments” project. The initiative is supported by the following zones: Legnica, Wałbrzych, Kamienna Góra, Kostrzyn-Słubice and Pomeranian. Their tasks will include preparing attractive investment plots along the route, equipped, among other things, with ready-to-rent halls for small and medium-sized companies. In cooperation with local governments, the zones will also provide supporting infrastructure, including roads, utilities and networks.
– Lower Silesia offers an exceptional climate for doing business: investor-friendly, open local governments; as many as three economic zones; specialised personnel; clusters supporting entrepreneurs’ activities; and a constantly expanding transport network. Today, we invite you to take advantage of the investment offer along the S5 route. This is truly a worthwhile place to locate your business! – said during today’s meeting Rafał Jurkowlaniec, President of the Legnica Special Economic Zone.
As part of the “S5 – A Direction for Good Investments” project, the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency will conduct a promotional campaign aimed at foreign investors, further increasing the attractiveness of the agreement partners’ offer. In cooperation with the Agricultural Property Agency, which has agricultural land along S5 at its disposal, a list of the most attractive areas for potential investors will also be created. The Legnica Special Economic Zone, together with local governments, has already begun analysing the investment potential of land near road junctions on the newly built route, including those in Żmigród, Trzebnica and Wrocław.
The Kamienna Góra, Wałbrzych, Kostrzyn-Słubice and Pomeranian zones also have land along the route.
– We have a total of 465 hectares of investment land available to entrepreneurs along the S5 route. We invite you to invest, among other places, in Września, Śrem, Książ Wielkopolski, Leszno, Rawicz and Wołów. In fourteen locations within the area of the WSSE “Invest-Park” along the S5 expressway, we have already transferred 655 hectares to investors – said Barbara Kaśnikowska, President of the Wałbrzych Special Economic Zone “Invest-Park”.
The “S5 – A Direction for Good Investments” project is another agreement aimed at building strong areas of investment activity being implemented in Lower Silesia. In February this year, the Legnica Special Economic Zone launched the “S3 – A Road of Great Opportunities” project. The S3 route in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship is under construction and design, but the economic zones of western Poland are already preparing for the moment when it connects the north with the south of the country, thereby creating one of the best areas for locating businesses.
At present, as part of the “S3 – A Road of Great Opportunities” project, LSSE, together with the Głogów local government, is implementing the Głogów Technology Park project, where the first halls for entrepreneurs to rent will be built. The Legnica Special Economic Zone is also preparing to establish the Lower Silesian Economic Activity Zone – S3 Jawor (DSAG – S3 Jawor) in Jawor and Męcinka, covering more than 420 hectares of investment land. This area has a chance to become one of the largest and most attractive investment sites in the country. The authorities of Jawor and Męcinka have already adopted the relevant resolutions consenting to the incorporation of the land into the LSSE area. By the end of the year, the DSAG – S3 Jawor area is to be incorporated into the Legnica Special Economic Zone as an LSSE subzone.
Żmigród open to investors
The first local government to join the “S5 – A Direction for Good Investments” project was Żmigród. The municipality has designated 212 hectares of land that may soon become part of the Legnica Special Economic Zone. Żmigród councillors unanimously adopted a resolution consenting to the incorporation of these areas into the LSSE. The final decision on establishing the Żmigród subzone of the Legnica Special Economic Zone will be made by the Ministry of Economy. As the LSSE and Żmigród authorities jointly emphasise, the decision to incorporate the new areas into the zone could be a turning point in the municipality’s development.
– Żmigród is a good place to live and invest. It is a friendly place to run a business. We hope that construction of the S5 route will increase the municipality’s investment appeal, and that the presence of economic zones and the support of so many partners to today’s agreement will result in new jobs. We will do everything in our power to make this happen – says Robert Lewandowski, Mayor of Żmigród.
The Kamienna Góra Special Economic Zone for Small Entrepreneurship is already operating in the Żmigród municipality, with 17 hectares of vacant investment land at its disposal.
– Capital expenditure incurred by investors in the Żmigród subzone of the KSSE for Small Entrepreneurship amounts to nearly PLN 37 million. We have managed to create 118 jobs here. More than 7 hectares are also awaiting investors in the Prusice subzone. We invite you! – presented the offer of the Kamienna Góra Special Economic Zone Wojciech Smoliński, member of the management board of the KSSE for Small Entrepreneurship.
In addition to representatives of the economic zones in Lower Silesia, Andrzej Kail, Marketing Director of the Kostrzyn-Słubice Special Economic Zone, and Józef Adam Bela, Vice-President of the Pomeranian Special Economic Zone, spoke about their experience in attracting investors. These zones have also joined the agreement.
A Direction for Good Investments under construction
In Lower Silesia, the S5 route will connect Korzeńsko with Wrocław and will be more than 48 km long. Construction of the Lower Silesian section of the road will include, among other things, six junctions linking the new section with the existing road network. These will be the following junctions:
- “Żmigródek”, located in the village of Żmigródek at the intersection of the planned S-5 road and the existing route of national road no. 5 from Poznań to Wrocław
- the “Żmigród” junction, located in the Żmigród municipality at the intersection of S-5 and voivodeship road no. 339 from Wołów to Żmigród
- the “Krościna” junction, located in the Prusice municipality at the intersection of S-5 and existing county road no. 1350D from Prusice to Krościna Wielka, as well as the existing route of national road no. 5 from Poznań to Wrocław
- the “Prusice” junction, located at the intersection of the planned S-5 and existing county road no. 1346D from Prusice to Piekary
- the “Trzebnica” junction at the intersection of S-5 and voivodeship road no. 340 from Trzebnica to Oborniki Śląskie
- the “Kryniczno” junction, located in the Wisznia Mała municipality at the intersection of S-5 and the existing national road no. 5 from Poznań to Wrocław.
The entire Lower Silesian section of the new expressway towards Poznań is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2017.
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