Summary of the Draft Economic Development & Employment Strategy For Consultation February 2011 An electronic version of the full strategy and an online questionnaire are available at www.whitehillbordon.com
Whitehill Bordon Eco-town Strategic Location Map Summary - Draft Economic Development & Employment Strategy v1.0
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Whitehill Bordon Eco-town February 2011
Summary Draft Economic Development & Employment Strategy
Where we are now 1
The purpose of this draft Economic Development and Employment Strategy (the Strategy) for the Whitehill Bordon Eco-town is to propose a framework for the town’s future economic growth.
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It is expected that there will be around ÂŁ1.5billion invested in the town by 2036. This Strategy seeks to ensure that the community will get maximum benefit from this investment.
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The overall requirement is to create a sustainable economy that thrives to meet the needs of the whole community - while respecting and protecting its superb natural environment.
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There will be more than 1000 jobs lost when the MoD leaves the town. Replacing these jobs is a huge challenge that will require both resource and commitment. So the responsibility to implement this Strategy cannot be by any single organisation but will be critically dependant upon both endorsement and active support from key delivery partners.
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Whitehill Bordon will become the largest community within East Hampshire with around 2.7 million people living within a one hour journey time.
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There is a real opportunity to show the true value of Whitehill Bordon as a pioneer in sustainable living and working that will become of national significance.
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The Strategy has drawn upon the recent and relevant baseline and forecasting studies including the GVA Grimley Revised Baseline Report, the SQW Economic Potentials Report, the AECOM draft Framework Masterplan (June 2010), East Hampshire Skills Audit and the Hampshire Local Economic Assessment.
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The challenges that the Whitehill Bordon economy faces can be summarised as: Financial • Uncertain global and national economic prospects • Restricted finance for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) cash-flow and investment • Declining levels of public intervention funding Employment • The significance of around 2,500 jobs that are reliant on the MoD • Expected closure of the Garrison, leading to a loss of both direct and indirect jobs and a reduction in local spending power • High levels of out-commuting from the town • Decline of traditional employment sector opportunities, like manufacturing, due to globalisation of trade • Under-representation in higher value business services and financial sectors. Skills and Education • Education levels and performance are lagging behind the county average • Low levels of entrepreneurship • Predominance of local jobs requiring low skills • Low level of graduates and local graduate retention Infrastructure • Weak public transport infrastructure and services resulting in an over-reliance on private vehicles • Lack of available business space, in particular for small-medium sized businesses • Low rates of industrial development on employment land • Limited ICT infrastructure for next generation services
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The issues that face Whitehill Bordon and the world, although challenging, provide opportunities to make the Eco-town an exceptional location with ambitions to: • Achieve a balanced mix of business and jobs • Improve education, training and learning to create a skills base capable of supporting a world-class economy • Develop employment land and provide high quality efficient business space • Develop new sectors and encourage targeted inward investment • Encourage entrepreneurship and support innovation • Improve accessibility and transport links locally and regionally.
Where we want to be 10
The Strategy proposes a 12 element plan for the development of a mixed and sustainable economy: Element 1 Safeguard and adapt the legacy of the military training expertise There is a considerable and growing need in the UK for increasing the provision of training for skilled tradecraft workers, in particular for the energy and construction sectors. The existing skills training assets, both physical and intellectual, should be retained as intact as possible and remodelled for long-term civilian benefit. Element 2 Establish a learning and innovation campus This innovative vision could become the focus of a multi institution serving not only Whitehill Bordon but for meeting the training and educational needs for much of East Hampshire. The proposal would be implemented through a distributed model that would take advantage of existing partner facilities and so minimise (but not replace) the requirements for capital intensive new build.
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Element 3 Focus on sustainable construction, low-carbon energy and environmental business sector growth The environmental economy (including renewable energy, water, waste, environmental technologies) provides an immediate opportunity to drive forward the Whitehill Bordon economy. The sector is significant at the regional level and the town has several competitive advantages on which to take a lead not least the concept of “the town that built itself� that will attract businesses who want to be at the heart of one of the largest construction projects to be developed in the region and also at the centre of a 360 degree catchment area of around 2.7m people within a one hour journey time. Element 4 Develop a Sub-regional centre The intention to increase the community of Whitehill Bordon to a population of 25,000 over the next 24 years will elevate the town in both size and status to become the largest community in East Hampshire. Add a totally new eco-friendly 21st century town centre, an innovative education and training campus, and low-carbon transportation links and the ingredients have been assembled to transform the town into a major sub-regional centre. Element 5 Create a green travel hub A longer-term target for the Eco-town is to ensure that only 25% of trips are made by private car. This presents a significant business and employment opportunity to deliver a compelling range of alternative transport modes, including a town bus shuttle service, a rail link, cycle hire and ultralow carbon vehicles (ULCVs). Element 6 Promote the town as a delivery centre for public services The new town will require a new public sector service centre to meet the needs of the existing community, new town and surrounding communities including provision for; policing, education, healthcare, social support and public administration.
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Element 7 Young Entrepreneurs The transition to a new vibrant economy will require more than buildings, a cultural shift will be needed. The town should take the lead in developing a local young entrepreneurship foundation, linked to a local programme of apprenticeships to build an enterprise culture for all young people and so develop a reputation as the “Zone for Young Sustainable Enterprise�. Element 8 Target inward investment Whitehill Bordon’s attraction of being able to present a readily available land portfolio with options for design and build premises in the heart of the South East but with access within one hour to the airports at Southampton, Farnborough, Gatwick and Heathrow and the seaports at Portsmouth and Southampton has great potential to become a very powerful inward investment proposition. Element 9 Establish a business sector incubator The creation of the new Eco-station is an important first step, but as the town moves forward it will be critical to develop a world-class flagship building designed to showcase new sector advances and with the capability to deliver flexible office and conferencing facilities for the full range of businesses and entrepreneurs involved in the new developing sectors. Such an incubator would bring together companies, suppliers, research academics, service providers and private investors to stimulate business networking activity, projects, contracts and generate employment. Element 10 Value the third sector and social enterprises Catalysing the growth of a more active social economy across the local community, voluntary and social enterprise sectors will build more socially-aware economic activity, such as local trading schemes, credit unions and co-operative trading ventures.
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Element 11 Support the value added food and drink sector Reducing “Food Miles” by local sourcing of goods and services meets the objectives of supporting local employment and reducing adverse environmental impacts by linking to and developing the local quality food and drink sector. Element 12 Encourage visitor and eco-tourist activity Whitehill Bordon will need to: • Improve the provision of tourist and visitor information • Provide a better range of visitor accommodation • Make the local environment more attractive and accessible • Improve visitor facilities and attractions (possibly including new hotels and forest holidays)
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How we will get there 11
To develop and support the 12 strategic elements the Strategy proposes a detailed action plan which identifies potential delivery partners and timescales based on six priority themes: Low Carbon Innovation and Technology • Support local low-carbon innovation in science, technology and research for application within new sustainable business sector economy • Attract and secure new investment in the key low-carbon growth sectors and maximise new market opportunities Business Performance and Competitiveness • Develop a more diverse, competitive and resource efficient local economy • Support the development and growth of micro-businesses and small and medium sized businesses • Increase quality and availability of jobs and resultant wage levels • Encourage the development of entrepreneurial attitudes Commercial land and business property • Fully meet all the expected (and unexpected) physical land and building requirements for the development of the Ecotown • Provision of a range of commercial property opportunities for both new investments and local business growth to provide suitable ladders to encourage and sustain business growth and investment Education, Skills and Training • Enhance the skills offer and infrastructure to improve the employability of all in order to support priority sectors and to enable local workforce to compete for higher value jobs • Improve educational achievement, attainment and aspirations of the local population • Ensure that all within Whitehill Bordon have affordable access to learning and training • Ease the transition between education and work, especially for the “Not in employment, education or training” (NEET) group
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Environment and Infrastructure • Ensure that all development proposals safeguard and enhance the built, new and natural environment, and implement sustainable construction methods to achieve optimum low-carbon living • Improve physical and digital accessibility and transport links within the region and between the Eco-town and surrounding communities • Make the new town centre a sustainable location and ensure it acts as the focus for investment and environmental enhancement Marketing & Investment • Promote a compelling and distinctive image for Whitehill Bordon that appeals to investors and creates a sense of identity • Secure new inward investment from the rest of the UK and overseas • Enhance strategic links with the Blackwater Valley towns and urban South Hampshire
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The Strategy will require regular review and adaptation to ensure that yet to emerge opportunities might be introduced and in order to respond to unexpected events.
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Evaluation of the progress of the Strategy will be vital and the performance indicators will need to be further developed and some new data collection undertaken.
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Following the consultation the finalised Strategy will be recommended for adoption by the Delivery Board and for the endorsement of the delivery partners. An electronic version of the full strategy is available for download at www.whitehillbordon.com
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Whitehill Bordon Eco-town East Hampshire District Council Penns Place Petersfield Hampshire GU31 4EX Tel. 01730 234354 Email: whitehillbordon@easthants.gov.uk www.whitehillbordon.com
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Whitehill Bordon Eco-town February 2011