Environmental initiatives in Leven and Grangemouth have secured funding to create hubs dedicated to help foster regeneration.

The projects have been made possible by a grant from the £3.7 million Regulators' Pioneer Fund launched by The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

The fund enables UK regulators and local authorities to help create a UK regulatory environment that unleashes innovation and makes the UK the best place to start and grow a business.

Terry A'Hearn, Chief Executive at SEPA said: "Our One Planet Prosperity regulatory strategy is clear – we'll not only ensure Scottish business meets environmental compliance, we'll work with communities, companies and stakeholders across our country to grasp environmental, social and economic opportunities as we transform our economy.

"It's right that in tandem with private sector innovation, public partners do likewise, collaborate and create an environment that enables a just and fair transition to net zero.

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"Today's funding boost is an important catalyst for the public to allow that to happen."

The Leven Catchment area will benefit from the creation of a Knowledge Hub that will enable greater collaboration between communities, stakeholders, and regulators.

As a "one stop shop" it will use data innovation to enable collective decisions that will benefit environmental regeneration and inclusive growth.

The Knowledge Hub will connect key data sets that support activities across regulatory boundaries, providing multi-agency advice and enabling comprehensive understanding of decision impacts, investment/funding opportunities and catchment wide benefits.

The Leven Project's Pauline Silverman said: "Across the Leven Catchment in Fife, public, private and third sector partners are working in new and creative ways on an ambitious agenda for environmental, economic and social success for their areas.

"Built into the approach is collaboration with local communities and with partners. The funding boost is both a recognition of the success we're seeing in Leven, and of the opportunity to work in this was across other areas."

In Grangemouth the funding will support the creation of an Industrial Net Zero Regulatory Hub.

Focusing on the local industrial cluster, the project will bring together other regulators, public sector organisations, businesses and communities to understand the existing environment.

It will also help understand what a future resilient Grangemouth could look like and set out a framework for creating a space for innovation, solving compliance problems quickly, exploring opportunities to go beyond compliance and driving transformational change.

Business Minister Lord Callanan said: "Good regulation should spur entrepreneurship, not stand in its way, and this project will help keep the UK at the cutting-edge of innovation.

"The Leven and Grangemouth projects could pave the way for exciting developments in the sector, bringing benefits to British businesses and consumers alike."