THERE is capacity for jobs growth of 2,000 at Porton Down, according to the chairman of Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

Barry Dennington told Wiltshire Chamber of Commerce SWLEP would be pushing for more government funding to ensure the area continued to develop as a science park.

He said: “We believe we already live in an innovative region and we want to unlock money for growth. We will be training and developing more skills to meet the demand and we will be up-skilling people to ensure they are more in tune for different jobs. Porton Down is a huge opportunity for innovation in life sciences.”

Mr Dennington added that accelerating development was a priority after the recent Autumn Statement from George Osborne had confirmed SWLEP’s funding.

He outlined several funds SWLEP has access to, the largest being £141m from the government growth fund.

Other projects in the pipeline include funding the Salisbury A303 link with development at Swindon and M4 eastern side, improving the road-rail infrastructure and pushing for the development of Wilton Parkway station.

He had praise for Amanda Burnside, principal of Wiltshire Colleges, who was “really giving a strong input into the board”.

Amanda has already identified at potential £30million worth of investment into the colleges of Salisbury and Wiltshire.

Mr Dennington said he recognised there were concerns that the south of the county was not fully represented and urged people who might wish to be on the main board to come forward in time for selection next January.