Goole is experiencing a boom says ex mayor as latest development by Finnish papermaker Metsä promises 400 jobs

The latest development by Finnish firm Metsä is earmarked for a greenfield site off the M62 and will see lorries trucking pulp from the port of Hull to Goole to turn into toilet tissues, kitchen towels and industrial wipes.

Metsä announced it had selected a 200 acre site on the northern part of the Humber Freeport for the investment worth hundreds of millions of pounds last September. The firm says it will be the largest tissue mill in the UK, and when operating at full capacity over the coming decade could create 400 jobs and thousands more in the supply chain.

Meanwhile training has started for workers at Siemens’ Rail Village which should start assembling new Piccadilly Line trains for the London Underground later this year. Croda International has also invested in a £7m state of the art distribution hub on the Goole 36 Enterprise Zone.

It comes as £25m is being spent on eight projects as part of the Town Deal, including a “one stop shop” for people wanting to gain skills. Work has started on a £17m upgrade of its leisure centre, using £3.4m Town Deal money, while £4m will see Market Hall transformed into a “vibrant” food hall and events venue.

Independent councillor and ex mayor David Jeffreys said: “I do think in three or four years Goole will be a totally different town. It’s getting a lot of interest, people are seeing the benefits of coming to Goole. It’s experiencing a boom at the moment. You have to thank our MP Andrew Percy – he has done wonders.”

Speaking from Finland where he’s been visiting Metsä facilities, Mr Percy said stories of Levelling Up failures were eagerly seized on. But the Tory MP, who is standing down at the general election, said: "They never talk about when it has gone right and Goole is a prime example. When I got elected 14 years ago the idea we would bring manufacturing back was pie in the sky.

"Goole has had hundreds of millions of investment, government and private, since 2010. The link road was funded by the government and it provided financial support to bring in Siemens. Some of the land has been designated an Enterprise Zone, which brings tax benefits and now a Freeport. None of this happened by accident. Things take a long time to filter through. It doesn’t mean everything is hunky dory, but we are talking about making a generational change so the next generation has jobs and opportunities on their doorsteps that they wouldn’t have had for generations – if ever.”

He said the Metsä plant would operate to “very high” Finnish standards, and he’d visited the forests, where for every tree chopped down many would be planted.

“They are very confident about the UK market and hopefully we will be putting a planning application in the next few months. It’s another huge development which shows how investable Goole is.”

Council leader Anne Handley, who’s from Goole, said newly built homes are selling fast and Siemens “are going to expand even further”.