Watch out Braintree - here come the jobs!

That's the optimistic message from council chiefs who are predicting a glittering future for the town's crippled east end.

They have spent ten years and millions of pounds sowing the seeds of recovery.

Thousands of jobs were lost when manufacturing giants Crittall, Courtaulds, Lake and Elliott, and Campbells pulled out of the town.

But now hundreds of jobs are on their way back to Braintree. And the town's former industrial heartland looks set to be a major player on the jobs front.

Business is expected to boom at:

The new Freeport designer shopping village - 350 jobs.

Charter Way business park - 250 jobs.

Lakes industrial park - 100 jobs.

Freeport is gearing up for a spectacular November launch.

And there is growing interest in the new business parks springing up next to the £24 million shopping centre.

Council spokesman Paul Munson said years of hard work were beginning to pay off.

"Our object was to bring 1,000 jobs into the area. We have 20 acres of new business park to attract investment and that means jobs.

"The Crittall, Campbells and Lake sites are all being redeveloped. Something is happening on every front except for the old goods yards on Railway Street. That is the final part of the jigsaw and something we are determined to crack."

A five-year regeneration programme financed by £1.3 million of special government cash aid helped attract additional outside investment.

Mr Munson said: "East Braintree provided 4,000 jobs at its peak. Those people shopped in the town centre and when they went it had a devastating effect. But bringing east Braintree back to life will help the town centre too."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.