SUDDENLY, companies are queuing up to bring new businesses and work to East Lancashire.

In fact, they are fighting each other to come here.

For today we see unveiled a £60million plan for a giant retail and business park at Whitebirk - which could create 3,000 new jobs - rivalling a similar £20million scheme proposed nearby and the prospect of a battle for planning consent.

And we hear that firms are falling over themselves to be part of these ventures.

It is great news for our region.

But why this sudden surge of interest?

Simple - the M65 extension is the reason for the boom.

"The motorway has been a long time coming, but it is certainly having an impact on the market now," says an agent for the project launched today.

But forgive us at the Lancashire Evening Telegraph for saying we told you so.

For more than 25 years of unstinting campaigning for East Lancashire's own motorway - first of all for it to be built, and then for it to be extended to the M6 and M61 - this newspaper has stressed how vital the road was to our region's economic regeneration. And, in that time, despite all sorts of criticism - from groups as diverse as dreamy Greens to short-sighted Nimbies - we have never lost faith in that belief.

But though we are pleased to be proved right, we are not surprised.

Simple economic logic says that better communications bring in new business, help existing firms to expand and create extra jobs, both directly and through spin-off in the region.

Now, even before the road is complete, we have the reality.

We are delighted - as, we are sure, is everyone with a concern for East Lancashire's future.

And our only regret is that the realisation of this dream has been such along time coming.

The M65 could and should have been built and finished at least a decade ago.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.