PARTS of the Vale of Glamorgan have been designated as assisted areas by the European Commission.

The Vale Council applied to the UK Government for the status which allows businesses to receive higher levels of support from public bodies and the new map covers the next 6 years.

The Commission this week approved the draft assisted areas map submitted by the UK government in April.

The Council highlighted the benefits to the Vale and the region as a whole of encouraging businesses to invest in the area and to take advantage of the Cardiff Airport/St Athan Enterprise Zone.

The 2014-2020 Assisted Areas Map has now been approved and published and includes areas around Cardiff Airport and St Athan as well as a section of land around Junction 34 of the M4 motorway.

Vale Council cabinet member for regeneration, Cllr Lis Burnett said: “This is fantastic news for the Vale. We made a strong case for encouraging investment in the Enterprise Zone and beyond. This case was based on the creation of jobs for the wider area. Large scale business investment triggers growth in supply chain businesses well beyond the original investment so I expect the benefits to be widespread.”