| This newsletter takes a look at the activities of our Agency in Devon and Somerset from April 2008 to July 2008. |
 As you will see, we are able to report progress on a range of projects of regional and strategic significance.
We are also in a position to highlight some of the changes in our role and organisation as a result of the Government’s Sub-National Review of Economic Development and Regeneration and the approval of our Corporate Plan 2008-11.
The announcement of Regional Infrastructure Funding for projects in Exeter and Taunton is a very welcome boost in our work to unlock the potential of two areas which have been identified as having major growth opportunities.
We can also report that six rural partnerships across Devon and Somerset have been awarded almost £14 million from the Local Action fund for rural communities, which is part of the EU and Defra-funded Rural Development Programme (England).
Plymouth’s East End Community Village project is celebrating yet another nomination for a national award.
In Torbay, a number of projects in Brixham, Torquay and Paignton which are being funded by our Agency as part of our wider support for the area, are making excellent progress.
In North Devon, proposals for the regeneration of Bideford have taken a step forward with the announcement of the next stage of masterplanning for key development sites in the town.
Our role in leading the development of a low carbon economy for the South West is highlighted in the soon-to-be-opened Okehampton green energy business park which as well as being an excellent project in its own right will act as a test bed for the sort of environmental technology which may be rolled out across the region.
And in Somerset, Great Bow Wharf has received acclaim from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors having scooped several awards including regional project of the year.
I hope you enjoy reading about our work in Devon and Somerset. If you would like further information on the projects listed, please contact the Devon and Somerset Area Team on 01752 251071.
Ian Thompson, Area Director for Devon and Somerset |
| Regional |
The South West RDA is changing
Our Corporate Plan sets out our ambitions and plans for 2008-2011. Read the full article |
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Corporate Plan approval
In approving our Corporate Plan 2008-11, the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and has given us key messages. Read the full article |
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Investment of more than £12 million for regional infrastructure
More than £12m is to be invested on infrastructure schemes that will help to unlock the region’s business potential. Read the full article |
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Rural areas in Devon and Somerset share in £33 million funding
Fifteen rural partnerships across South West England have been awarded significant funding from the Local Action fund for rural communities. Read the full article |
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| Devon, Plymouth & Torbay |
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£6 million ‘low carbon’ business centre to officially open
The official opening is due to take place in September for a new £6 million business centre in Okehampton. Read the full article |
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Torbay projects progressing well
Work is progressing well on several projects in the Torbay area. Read the full article |
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More success for East End Community Village
An award-winning scheme to regenerate the East End of Plymouth has been shortlisted for yet another accolade. Read the full article |
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Top Defra officials visit Devon Eco Business Park
The Director–General of Natural Environment, Peter Unwin, and other officials from Defra have visited a scheme in Devon. Read the full article |
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Work under way at Princetown Village Centre project
Work is under way on a much-needed new community centre at Princetown. Read the full article |
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Regeneration in Bideford takes a step forward
Plans for the regeneration of Bideford have taken a step forward with the appointment of a specialist team. Read the full article |
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Devon pharmaceutical firm expands with new business
The expansion of a successful Devon-based pharmaceutical firm has been welcomed as further evidence of the growth of the biotechnology sector in the South West. Read the full article |
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| Somerset |
Glastonbury goes wireless
Glastonbury is the most connected place in Somerset as the county’s first Wi-Fi town. Read the full article |
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Great Bow Wharf scoops three awards
Great Bow Wharf in Langport, near Taunton, scooped three out of five awards at the regional finals of the RICS Awards that celebrate building excellence. Read the full article |
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| | Regional |
| The South West RDA is changing |
Our Corporate Plan sets out our ambitions and plans for 2008-2011. The Government’s Sub-National Review of Economic Development and Regeneration (SNR) signals major changes in our strategic role during this period, with a new remit (subject to legislation) to lead the preparation of a Single Regional Strategy, and a focus on greater delegation to local and other partners where appropriate.
At the same time, our financial settlement in last year’s Comprehensive Spending Review requires us to make significant savings in our running costs over the next three years. Since by far the largest single element in our running cost budget is staff, this means reducing our staffing complement.
Over recent months we have been reviewing the balance of our activities in the light of the challenges above, and the feedback from the National Audit Office’s independent performance assessment of the Agency in 2006. This review has led us to the conclusion that we must refocus our energies on the priorities in our new Corporate Plan; scale down, over time, our portfolio of projects and concentrate on fewer strategic projects of regional or sub-regional significance; and prepare for the additional responsibilities for regional planning and strategy development as presaged in the SNR.
We are formally consulting staff on changes to the organisation to put this into effect. I anticipate a number of key changes of which you should be aware, namely:
· A reduction in the size of the Agency – we envisage losing some 50 posts over the course of this year, from a current establishment of around 390.
· A greater focus on business relations, international business, work on low carbon initiatives and renewable energy.
· Our Area Directors will remain our key interface with localities, but the teams directly reporting to them will reduce in size. They will be supported by multi-functional ‘commissioning teams’ from across the Agency.
· There will be a shift, over time, from the present position where the Agency funds and monitors many hundreds of projects towards a more focused approach to investment - spatially and thematically - working through longer-term programmes in partnership with others to deliver real economic change and growth.
We intend to honour existing commitments, and plan to establish a legacy programme team to assist in the completion and closure of many of these.
The impact of these changes will take some time to work through, but will begin to be felt this summer. Your support and understanding during what will inevitably be an unsettling time of transition for our staff would be greatly appreciated. |
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| Corporate Plan approval |
In approving our Corporate Plan 2008-11, the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and has given us the following key messages:
· It recognises that the next three years will be an important period for us in preparing for an increased role in regional planning and increased commitment to partnership working with local authorities.
· The Business Support Simplification agenda provides the RDA with a significant opportunity to clarify our business support proposition for the region and to help deliver the 'Go-Live' timetable.
· On skills, the government would like us to commit to promoting 'train to gain' to employers and promoting skills attainment at all levels.
· We have important lead roles to fulfil as the lead RDA nationally for Aerospace and liaison with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (particularly on the ten-year-action plan for tourism and the 2012 legacy strategy).
If you have any questions about the Corporate Plan please e-mail: corporateplan@southwestrda.org
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| Investment of more than £12 million for regional infrastructure |
More than £12m is to be invested on infrastructure schemes that will help to unlock the region’s business potential. The investments are the first to be agreed from our Agency’s new Regional Infrastructure Fund (RIF). The schemes will:
· Improve junctions 29 and 30 of the M5 at Exeter (£6.5m), which will benefit the new community at Cranbrook, the proposed Skypark business park, proposed Exeter Science Park and other new housing in Exeter
· Provide a new rail station to serve Cranbrook new community at Exeter (£3.5m)
· Combat flooding in Taunton Deane (£2.4m).
The RIF is an innovative fund which delivers much needed infrastructure much earlier than it might otherwise be provided. The Fund then reclaims the investment from private developers through Section 106 contributions negotiated as part of the planning process between local authorities and developers.
The two Cranbrook-related schemes (road junctions and rail station) are vital to enable the development of some 3,500 homes. Equally important, the improvements to the junctions on the M5 unlock the development for employment of some 75 hectares of land, facilitating the creation of up to 7,500 jobs.
The announcement of RIF funding for M5 junction improvements comes after we agreed in April to invest up to £19 million to enable Devon County Council to buy and develop the infrastructure for a site near Junction 29, at Redhayes, for the proposed £120 million Exeter Science Park. The deal also secured the land needed for major Junction 29 improvements which will unlock the full potential of the East of Exeter Growth Area – the main business and housing growth area for Exeter over the next 20 years.
The Taunton scheme paves the way for the development of some 1,500 homes and employment space which could accommodate up to 6,000 jobs through the delivery of Project Taunton.
The new defences, at Longrun Farm, to the west of the town, will increase the capacity of the River Tone floodplain to help protect the town from future flooding. The contract for the work is expected to be awarded later this summer.
For further information, contact Ian Piper at Ian.Piper@southwestrda.org.uk
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| Rural areas in Devon and Somerset share in £33 million funding |
Fifteen rural partnerships across South West England – including six in Devon and Somerset - have been awarded significant funding from the Local Action fund for rural communities.
Local Action is a competitive fund - part of the EU and Defra-funded Rural Development Programme (England) – for community partnerships seeking funds to bring about lasting improvements to the life and economy of their towns and villages.
Details of the Local Action Groups and their funding in Devon and Somerset are:
South Devon Coastal Local Action Group £1,800,000
Greater Dartmoor Local Action Group £1,800,000
Blackdown Hills and East Devon Local Action Group £2,400,000
Leader 4 Torridge and North Devon £3,800,000
Western Somerset Local Action Group £2,250,000
Somerset Levels and Moors Local Action Group£1,800,000
The fund is managed by our Agency and our rural operations and delivery manager Bruce Douglas said: “There will be some innovative and long-term plans going ahead as a result of Local Action that will benefit both local communities and the whole region.
“We had some excellent bids, but because the process is competitive – and the total amount sought by communities was actually twice the amount in the fund – not everyone has got all the money they requested. However, successful groups have been awarded significant sums which should make a real difference to their areas.”
The bids were scrutinised by a panel drawn from RDPE partner organisations, including the Forestry Commission, Natural England and our Agency with the Government Office for the South West as observers.
Next steps will see our Agency issue contracts to the Local Action Groups which will then get on with the job of detailed planning and implementation of the projects from the autumn onwards.
All funding from the South West Local Action fund for rural communities has now been allocated. Information about Local Action and the bids is available on the RDA website at http://www.southwestrda.org.uk
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More Regional News
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| | Devon, Plymouth & Torbay |
| £6 million ‘low carbon’ business centre to officially open |
Tim Beavon, West Devon DC, Steve O’Higgins, SWRDA, Steve McDonald, Future Network, Stewart Home, Business Information Point, Andrew Bannock, SWRDA and Mark Wray, SWRDA |
The official opening is due to take place in September for a new £6 million business centre in Okehampton featuring the very latest advances in eco-friendly technology.
The new business centre has been made possible as part of a £3.25 million investment by our Agency, £2.25 million from the Objective Two European Regional Development Fund and £650,000 from West Devon Borough Council, which is managing the project. It is the first development on the 26-acre Opportunity Okehampton site, alongside Exeter Road.
The business centre is made up of 16 starter units providing modern work spaces for new and growing small firms. Two of the first tenants on site are IT and telecoms company Future Networks and the West Devon Business Information Point, which provides business advice, support and training to agricultural and rural businesses.
Green features include a wind turbine to provide 6KW of power and a boiler fuelled by wood pellets, a renewable energy source, to provide heating. Building materials were chosen for low environmental impact, windows designed to increase natural lighting and conserve electricity and solar panels will provide a significant percentage of the buildings’ energy needs,
The result is that carbon emissions from the starter units are expected to be about 60 per cent less than using conventional energy sources, saving around 50 tonnes of carbon emissions a year.
For more information contact: Steve.O'Higgins@southwestrda.org.uk
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| Torbay projects progressing well |
Work is progressing well on several projects in the Torbay area where we are investing to unlock the business potential of traditional and new industries as well as raising skill levels.
The first stage of a multi-million pound scheme to transform Brixham's fish quay is well under way, with contractors on site and making very visible progress in providing a new extended quay deck as part of Phase 1 of the scheme. This will pave the way for Phase 2 of the scheme – expected to start in 2009 – which will see the construction of a new fish market building, restaurant, tourist walkway, offices and employment space.
In Paignton, work is also progessing well on the key White Rock site, which is earmarked to drive forward the future economic growth of Torbay.
Builders and highways engineers are on site constructing new roads and services as the first stage of a high quality business park development which will provide more than 40,000m2 of much-needed office space with the potential to create 2,000 jobs for Torbay.
In Torquay, work is nearing completion on a second innovation centre for Torbay to give fledgling businesses the facilities and support they need to grow and thrive.
The new Innovation Centre, located in the Lymington Road coach station, Torquay, will provide high quality office space for new businesses together with a range of on-site facilities and advice.
The project will provide accommodation for up to 30 new businesses, creating new jobs and opportunities for enterprise. It follows the success of the first Torbay Innovation Centre at South Devon College, Vantage Point, which opened early last year and is already a hub for a diverse range of businesses.
For more information please contact: James.Wilson@southwestrda.org.uk |
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| More success for East End Community Village |
An award-winning scheme to regenerate the East End of Plymouth has been shortlisted for yet another accolade.
The £14 million East End Community Village scheme is a finalist in the Regeneration and Renewal Awards in the ‘best-designed regeneration development’ category and the ‘mixed-use project of the year’ award.
It comes after the scheme was named the Local Authority Regeneration Project of the Year at the Local Government Chronicle Awards.
The scheme aims to regenerate what is one of Plymouth’s most deprived areas by providing local access to services, raising skill levels and encouraging the development of a sustainable local economy.
Our Agency has supported the project with almost £2 million of funding through the Single Regeneration Budget, with the focus of this investment being the creation of a new enterprise centre within the community village. This comprises four new business units and a purpose built business centre to encourage enterprise.
Les Roper, our Community Regeneration Manager, said: “This scheme is already making a big difference for people in the East End by improving access to services, providing a focal point for the community and helping unlock business potential.”
For more information please contactLes.Roper@southwestrda.org.uk |
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| Top Defra officials visit Devon Eco Business Park |
The Director–General of Natural Environment, Peter Unwin, and other officials from Defra have visited a scheme in Devon to see for themselves work being done to encourage environmentally friendly business growth.
The Dunkeswell Eco Business Park has been set up by the Blackdown Hills Business Association with the help of a £100,000 investment from Devon Renaissance, which is funded primarily by our Agency.
Business units have been created from disused buildings on the former airfield using eco-friendly materials, heated by environmentally friendly wood pellet boilers and also containing features such as composting toilets.
Among the first tenants on the site include the Blackdown Hills Natural Fibre Group – which recycles low grade wool and other animal fibres into felt – and digital video business Tower Studios.
Earlier in the day the Defra officials visited our headquarters in Exeter where they were briefed on how our Agency is leading the development of a low carbon, resource-efficient economy in the region.
For more information please contact: Lynne.Delgreco@southwestrda.org.uk |
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| Work under way at Princetown Village Centre project |
Members of the Princetown Community Centre join in with the turf cutting ceremony |
Work is under way on a much-needed new community centre at Princetown which will bring together a range of essential local services as well as business advice, IT and leisure facilities under one roof.
The project, which includes a new doctor’s surgery, hall, library and children’s centre, has received financial backing from the Big Lottery Fund’s Community Buildings programme as well as our Agency, landowners the Duchy of Cornwall, West Devon Borough Council, Devon County Council, DNPA, Sport England and the Children’s Centre.
Les Roper, our Community Regeneration Manager, said: “In addition to providing people in this remote rural community with access to services, our investment in the Village Centre is also intended to help unlock the potential of local businesses. This will be done through a range of advice and training which will be offered at the centre by HMCA in partnership with Business Link.”
For more information please contact: Les.Roper@southwestrda.org.uk |
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| Regeneration in Bideford takes a step forward |
Plans for the regeneration of Bideford have taken a step forward with the appointment of a specialist team to draw up proposals for the transformation of five key sites in the town.
The sites at the Livestock Market, Kingsley Road, The Pill, Bridge Street and Brunswick and Clarence Wharves were earmarked to kick start the regeneration process in the town following a local masterplanning and consultation process last year.
The next phase of work – to be jointly funded by our Agency, Torridge District Council, Devon County Council and Bideford Town Council – will involve detailed surveys of each site and a full a commercial analysis on how the regeneration schemes will maximise the economic benefit for Bideford and the wider region.
Proposals will be put forward for the best possible use for each site and the likely cost of development. Outline plans will be produced to indicate how each of the sites might look and studies will be carried out into site infrastructure, utilities and road and public transport links.
James Wilson, our Operations Manager, said: “Our Agency has identified the northern Devon area as a priority place for our future investment as we seek to unlock the business potential of the region.
“We have indicated our support in principle for the regeneration of Bideford and this essential next stage of the process is to ensure the right projects are brought forward which are achievable, affordable and which will maximise the economic benefits of regeneration for the town.”
For more information please contact: James.Wilson@southwestrda.org.uk |
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| Devon pharmaceutical firm expands with new business |
Yasmin Crawford of OI Sciences with Nicola Daniels, RDA |
The expansion of a successful Devon-based pharmaceutical firm has been welcomed as further evidence of the growth of the biotechnology sector in the South West.
Opal Healthcare has strengthened its presence in the region by creating new spin-out company OI Sciences Limited. We provided help and advice, key contacts and information on potential sites in the region when the company relocated from Oxfordshire to South Brent in 2006.
OI Sciences will focus on the development, sales, marketing and distribution of custom made and generic injectible drugs. The firm, which has premises at the Kingswood Court Business Park, has been in business since 2002 and is a supplier to the UK National Health Service as well as other European countries and the Middle East.
Yasmin Crawford, of OI Sciences, said: “Our position in the South West gives us an important strategic advantage. We are at the heart of a thriving bio-medical cluster and plan to forge relationships with companies that can help us with analytical testing, formulation, manufacture and sales and marketing. The move to Devon was absolutely the right decision and we have succeeded in helping our team at Opal and now OI Sciences strike a much better work/life balance as a result.”
Ian Thompson, our Area Director said: “We are delighted Opal Healthcare is prospering in such a way that it allows for further expansion in the region with the creation of this new spin-out company. Biotechnology is one of the RDA’s priority sectors and we are particularly pleased to be supporting the development of businesses like this one.
“This announcement by Opal Healthcare is testament to the emerging cluster of excellence in this field that we have here in the South West. The RDA is particularly pleased to see this sector flourish and this is a key area where the Agency will focus its investment, as part of our wider vision.”
For more information please contact: Nicola.Daniels@southwestrda.org.uk
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| | Somerset |
| Glastonbury goes wireless |
Glastonbury is the most connected place in Somerset as the county’s first Wi-Fi town.
This means people can connect wirelessly to the internet from public places. There are plans to offer discounted access to young people, schools and businesses.
The service has been funded by our Agency and Somerset County Council as part of the Connecting Somerset scheme.
This wi-fi network will address the needs of businesses and enable them to be more connected and competitive.
For more information contact:Esther.Croft@southwestrda.org.uk
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| Great Bow Wharf scoops three awards |
Great Bow Wharf in Langport, near Taunton, scooped three out of five awards at the regional finals of the RICS Awards that celebrate building excellence.
It fought off competition from a shortlist of 17 finalists to win awards for sustainability, regeneration and project of the year.
The winning projects will now have the opportunity to compete in the national final in London hosted by Kevin McCloud from Channel 4’s Grand Designs.
In keeping with the project’s ‘green’ credentials, a seminar to address the new Code for Sustainable Homes was held at the building in July.
The new code is a mandatory rating for new homes, which measures their sustainability against a range of categories.
The seminar covered some of the practical issues raised by building to the new code, including the design process and compliance during construction.
Our Agency invested £350,000 into Great Bow Wharf, which will boost the local economy by providing space for businesses and training.
For more information contactCarl.Budden@southwestrda.org.uk |
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