Chris Starkie, programme director of New Anglia local enterprise partnership.

A helping hand for new and growing businesses in North Walsham and Aylsham could be on offer this spring if a bid for government cash is successful.

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Some of the funding would be used to employ an “enterprise champion” serving the two market towns.

The champion would help identify, and act on, what businesses need to establish themselves, expand and create jobs.

The New Anglia local enterprise partnership made its case to Defra last week for a £2.6m share of a £15m fund.

The cash would be used to create about half a dozen Rural Growth Network pilot areas nationally, aimed at testing ways of stimulating economic growth in country locations.

New Anglia has named 14 rural areas in Norfolk and Suffolk - including North Walsham and Aylsham - where it would like to use the cash and create up to 700 new jobs, by setting up “enterprise hubs”.

Chris Starkie, New Anglia programme director, said they expected to hear whether their bid had been successful around the middle of March. If it was, the project could get under way in April or May.

“We are trying to address challenges that are particularly severe in rural areas,” said Mr Starkie.

“For example, the availability of suitable premises, business support and finance, whether there are suitably-skilled workers available, and whether there is adequate broadband.”

Tom FitzPatrick, North Norfolk District Council cabinet member with responsibility for business enterprise and economic development, said there were a number of potential enterprise hub locations in North Walsham, earmarked for industry in the Local Development Framework.

They included the sites of the former Crane Fruehauf and HL Foods factories where closures had resulted in large-scale job losses.

But Mr FitzPatrick said other areas could also be considered, including the struggling St Nicholas Court shopping precinct where one future option would be to encourage mixed retail, business and community use.

Among ideas, Mr FitzPatrick said cash might be used to support women-led local businesses in the town, improve infrastructure or make expansion grants.

A spokesman for Broadland District Council said they would use the funding to address youth unemployment and to regenerate and revitalise Alysham as a visitor destination and to “promote the town as a quality-driven destination”.

The cash would be used in the town’s Dunkirk industrial area to create and regenerate brownfield sites, “with the aim of creating premises and job opportunities including business start-ups for the whole spectrum of the economy.”