Economic regeneration initiatives are much needed in Yorkshire and therefore plans to establish a freeport in the Humber should be seen as a positive move.

Conditional treasury approval has been granted to the scheme that could see up to 7,000 jobs created in the region. Jobs that the region really needs, for opportunity has been too often lacking.

It also chimes with the growth agenda that the Government claims to want to deliver. Humber Freeport could deliver economic growth and also help in the drive to level up the country.

But for the North to really benefit from schemes such as Humber Freeport, the Government needs to be far more ambitious.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a visit to the Port of Holyhead in Anglesey, North Wales, for the announcement of the creation of two freeports in Wales in a bid to boost the country's economy. PIC: Peter Byrne/PA Wire

That is why this newspaper has long campaigned for greater investment in our transport infrastructure and for assets such as Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) to be kept open for the greater public good.

If the North was equipped with a high speed rail line spanning between Hull and Liverpool, hooking in Bradford, a city with huge untapped economic potential, as per the original Northern Powerhouse Rail plans, it would open up the benefits of freeports to the wider region. DSA’s large runway would make it the ideal place to accommodate freight capacity.

The region is also home to world class universities and their expertise - as is the case on the Humber Freeport - should be utilised to build an economy for the future. It would all help to generate wealth and bring prosperity to places like Yorkshire while delivering economic growth that isn’t skewed towards London and the South East.

However, the Government must keep in mind the concerns that people have when it comes to rules and regulations for any development, not just freeports.

Economic regeneration needs to be underpinned by investment in infrastructure - The Yorkshire Post says