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Issue 4, November 2008

This newsletter takes a look at the activities of the South West RDA during the period July to November 2008.

Welcome to the latest update on the Agency’s work in the West of England and Gloucestershire region.

As you may know, the Government has announced a new £300 million scheme to help first time buyers which will be funded through a partial reallocation of existing RDA budgets from across England.

This will inevitably affect our own Agency. It is too soon to say exactly how much at present, but historically our share of the national RDA budget has been about seven per cent. I would like to stress that no decisions have yet been taken regarding specific investments. You can read more about how we will be affected later in this newsletter.

Our Agency has also announced a new package of support to help businesses during the economic downturn. This includes a new business loan fund of up to £10 million – just one of a series of measures set out in our ‘Action for Recovery’ that was published in November.

There have been some major events during this quarter, including a landmark deal for the aerospace industry, which enables the transfer of manufacturing assets between Airbus UK at Filton, Bristol, and British company GKN. The latter has pledged to invest a further £125 million into the site during the next five years.

September heralded the long-awaited opening of Cabot Circus in Bristol. The absence of a major city centre shopping centre has held the city back – Cabot Circus is vital to closing this gap and will put Bristol firmly on the map.

CFMS Ltd, a new consortium dedicated to new engineering design processes, has earmarked the Bristol and Bath Science Park as its first choice location. We hope the organisation will be the first tenant at SPark.

In Gloucestershire, Ecclesiastical Insurance has committed to build its new headquarters at Gloucester Docks. This means that the city retains one of its major employers.

We hope you enjoy reading this issue. If you would like to find out more about the work of the South West RDA in the West of England and Gloucestershire, please don’t hesitate to contact me or a member of my team on 0117 933 0200.

Ian Knight
Area Director West of England & Gloucestershire

RDA budget announcements

Our future spending in the region will inevitably be affected by the Government’s decision that the new £300 million HomeBuy Direct scheme to support first time home buyers should be funded through a partial re-allocation of existing RDA budgets.

On current projections, the re-allocation will largely affect RDA expenditure in 2010/11, but it will be hard to avoid some immediate impacts on the investment plans of local partners as reductions in future funding mean we will be able to give fewer commitments now.

It is too early to say exactly how, and by precisely how much, we will be affected in the South West – historically, our share of the national RDA budget has been around 7 per cent.

The national RDA network is working with Government on the wider implications, and we will be reviewing the likely impact on our own operations. It is important to stress that no decisions have yet been taken regarding any specific investments, but we will need to look at the options across all areas in which we invest.

We will work with Government and our regional and local partners both to minimise the negative impacts on our medium-long term investments and to ensure that this region gets its fair share of the re-allocated spending on housing.

We are also continuing to look closely at our programmes to bring forward investment where we reasonably can to help address the current economic situation in the region.

We will of course provide further information to all our partners as soon as this becomes available.

Preferred developer selected for Locking Parklands

Regeneration specialist St Modwen has been selected as the preferred developer for the former RAF Locking site, now known as Locking Parklands.

The site, located near Weston-super-Mare, is destined to become a new 82-hectare mixed use community where people will choose to live and work.

The selection of St Modwen has been made by our Agency and English Partnerships as joint owners of the former RAF Locking site.

The main focus for St Modwen will now be to engage the community with the next phase of public consultation in order to refine the masterplan and prepare a planning application for the first phase of employment.

It is proposed that the first phase of commercial development will be a 3,000 sq m Innovation Centre to attract entrepreneurial companies, providing them with the facilities and support to help them develop and grow; as well as a 2,000 sq m office building.

For more information, contact Ian Knight at Ian.Knight@southwestrda.org.uk

Gloucester Quays taking shape

Work on the first phase of the £400 million Gloucester Quays development next to the South West RDA-led Gloucester Docks is nearing completion.

A Designer Outlet shopping centre, a Sainsbury’s supermarket and a Travelodge hotel are all due to open next spring and will be connected by a new bridge and road link across the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, which has been part funded by our Agency.

Marks & Spencer has signed up as one of three anchor stores at the new outlet centre, which is expected to provide a boost to Gloucester’s economy.

Gloucester Quays is a joint venture between private developer The Peel Group and British Waterways.

For more information on the development visit http://www.gloucesterquays.co.uk

Regional
Climate Change Action Plan Launched South West England has launched its first Climate Change Action Plan, setting out how regional organisations and their sub-regional partners – such as district and county councils – can contribute to combating climate change. Read the full article

South West ‘only EU region aiming for 2020 energy targets’ "This is the first regional analysis of the EU renewables target, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to understand the challenges and opportunities of delivering renewable energy on the ground. It highlights the vital role that regions can play in helping member states achieve their targets.". Read the full article

Chairman to remain in post through 2009 Business Secretary Lord Mandelson has confirmed that Juliet Williams will stay on as South West RDA Chairman up to December 2009. Read the full article

Launch of regional economic taskforce A regional taskforce has been set up to help the Government understand – and respond to – local and regional needs during the current economic uncertainty. Read the full article

RDAs under scrutiny You may be aware that the BERR Select Committee is examining the work of RDAs. Early in October the committee heard evidence from the British Chambers of Commerce, the CBI, the EEF and local authorities. Read the full article

RDA responds to economic downturn South West businesses battling the economic downturn are to be supported with a raft of financial and advisory measures. Read the full article

Gloucestershire
		Littlecombe welcomes first businesses The first businesses have moved into the new business park at our Agency’s development at Littlecombe, near Dursley. Read the full article

		Ecclesiastical Insurance Group to move to Gloucester Docks Gloucester’s sixth largest employer the Ecclesiastical Insurance Group has agreed to build its new headquarters on land owned by our Agency at Gloucester Docks. Read the full article

West of England
Show time at Cabot Circus Bristol’s £500 million Cabot Circus retail and leisure development threw open its doors in September, welcoming thousands of visitors from across the region. Read the full article

		Work starts at Hengrove Park Work has started at Hengrove Park in Bristol. Read the full article

		The region celebrates landmark aerospace deal South West England's aerospace industry celebrated a landmark investment in the region in September with the transfer of manufacturing assets between Airbus UK at Filton, Bristol, and GKN. Read the full article

		SPark Home to revolutionary new organisation SPark, the new Bristol and Bath science and technology park on Bristol’s northern fringe, has been earmarked as a ‘first choice location’ by CFMS at a launch event in September. Read the full article

West of England

Region hailed as driving force of innovation

Science City Bristol welcomed Ian Pearson, Minister for Science and Innovation, to experience first hand the innovative technologies being developed in the region.

The visit, part of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) Innovation Nation roadshow, gave the Minister an opportunity to find out more about South West England’s innovative business culture by showcasing research and development underway in the region.

One of the companies the Minister met is Tidal Generation Limited (TGL), a cutting edge renewable technology developer based in Bristol. With help from the Agency’s Grant for Research and Development, TGL is developing undersea turbines to harness tidal energy that will be capable of generating electricity for thousands of homes.

Stephen Peacock, our executive director for enterprise and innovation, said: “Our work is focused on unlocking the potential of businesses across the South West. Making good use of science and technology is key to this and we are delighted to be able to highlight examples of where this is happening and encourage more companies to innovate.”

Regional

Climate Change Action Plan Launched

South West England has launched its first Climate Change Action Plan, setting out how regional organisations and their sub-regional partners – such as district and county councils – can contribute to combating climate change.

The South West Climate Change Action Plan prioritises actions to address both reducing the causes of and dealing with the impacts of climate change in the South West. The Action Plan focuses on actions needed between 2008 -2010.

Actions include reducing carbon emissions in the region by increasing the levels of energy efficiency in existing housing and other buildings, supporting 'low carbon' technology development and renewable energy.

It also includes ensuring we have planned ahead for extreme weather events and taken action in many different ways to adapt to our changing climate.

In developing and committing to the Action Plan, a regional partnership made up of our Agency, the Regional Assembly, Government Office, Environment Agency and Natural England, has demonstrated its very serious intent to making the changes in direction and activity to help the region meet the challenge of climate change.

The action plan and an executive summary can be read by visiting the Regional Assembly website at http://www.southwest-ra.gov.uk

South West ‘only EU region aiming for 2020 energy targets’

"This is the first regional analysis of the EU renewables target, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to understand the challenges and opportunities of delivering renewable energy on the ground. It highlights the vital role that regions can play in helping member states achieve their targets."

This was the verdict of EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs on the ‘Road to 2020’ report which highlights the challenge facing South West England if it is to meet the UK ‘s proposed 15 per cent renewables commitment.

The report, The Road to 2020 – An analysis of Renewable Energy, was published in September andconcludes that meeting a 15% or even a 20% target is possible within the region – but only with big and rapid changes to national policy and greater local support for renewable energy.

On the region’s current trajectory, we are likely to generate less than 5% of energy consumed within the region by 2020.

Our Agency worked with Regen SW on the analysis, and RDA energy manager Jonny Boston said: "Whilst the report highlights the huge scale of the challenge, it also sets out the opportunity.

“The UK renewable energy market is expected to grow ten-fold over the next 12 years, and we therefore expect to see significant growth in the region's renewables sector although access to the right resources from Government will be essential for the region to deliver on the findings of the report."

Matthew Spencer, chief executive of Regen SW said: "To meet the commitment within the next 600 weeks, the region we will have to reduce heat and power demand by at least 20 per cent and dramatically increase deployment of all on and offshore renewable technologies."

Commissioner Piebalgs commented on the report when he visited the region early in October to explore some recent examples of renewable energy developments in the South West.

Chairman to remain in post through 2009

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson has confirmed that Juliet Williams will stay on as South West RDA Chairman up to December 2009.

Seven RDA Chairs across the country have been asked to continue in post for up to a year. Announcing the extended terms, Lord Mandelson said:

“RDAs have a key role to play in helping businesses through these tough times. At this critical time for the economy I want to see continuity at the top of the RDAs. I thank the Chairs for agreeing to stay on. We need all their experience right now.”

Launch of regional economic taskforce

A regional taskforce has been set up to help the Government understand – and respond to – local and regional needs during the current economic uncertainty.

Headed by South West Regional Minister Ben Bradshaw, the taskforce will meet every month to consider what needs to be done to tackle four key issues: skills and employment; support for business; infrastructure, and resilience of public services.

As well as business people, the task group includes representatives from the RDA, the government office, JobCentre Plus, Learning and Skills Council, Housing and Communities Agency, Trades Union Congress and local authorities.

The group will provide a forum for the regional minister to discuss economic challenges with the private and public sectors, and so open up a channel of communication with the Government.

Jane Henderson, RDA chief executive said: “The RDA is ramping up its activities to support South West England’s economy through the downturn – by investing for the recovery and making sure our businesses have access to tools and timely advice to help them weather the storm and emerge stronger on the other side.

“Whatever difficulties we face now, we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that the region’s long-term health lies with a high skills/low carbon economy.”

RDAs under scrutiny

You may be aware that the BERR Select Committee is examining the work of RDAs. Early in October the committee heard evidence from the British Chambers of Commerce, the CBI, the EEF and local authorities.

A week later, the committee convened to hear evidence from senior representatives from the East Midlands Development Agency and Advantage West Midlands, representing the RDA network.

The South West RDA had already submitted written evidence to the committee and RDAs have also submitted joint evidence.

RDA responds to economic downturn

South West businesses battling the economic downturn are to be supported with a raft of financial and advisory measures.

The South West RDA will:
• Set up a new Business Loan Fund of up to £10million for a small number of ambitious firms with viable business plans which are unable get support from commercial banks or private investors. Loans of up to £250,000 will be available early next year;

• Double the amount of money available to businesses under the RDA’s Grant for Research and Development over 3 years. Businesses can apply for between £5,000 and £500,000 depending on the type of project. The next round of funding will be released on April 1, 2009 but businesses are strongly recommended to apply now to leave time for their applications to be appraised and for queries to be dealt with. For more information call Business Link on 0845 600 9966.

• Provide additional funding to the Graduates for Business programme, a scheme which gives companies access to the talents of undergraduates and university leavers. Enhanced funding will enable more graduates to be placed with, in particular, environmental technology and advanced engineering companies.

These are just three of a series of measures outlined in the South West RDA’s ‘Action for Recovery’ published on 12 November at the RDA’s Stakeholder Conference in Bristol.

It explains how the Agency will develop or expand its existing programmes in the face of the global economic downturn, especially the work of Business Link. Business Link acts as a gateway to advice and support for small and medium sized businesses.

Stephen Peacock, the Agency’s Executive Director of Enterprise and Innovation, said: “The global economy is facing unprecedented challenges and for many of the region’s businesses, simply surviving is getting tougher by the day. Responding to the short term economic uncertainty is of paramount importance. With our partners, we will be doing all we can to help businesses deal with the economic crisis and chart a course for recovery.”

Stephen added: “This does not mean that we have shifted our focus away from investing in the long term health of the economy. We are still committed to developing a low-carbon economy, boosting productivity by investing in skills and innovation and making sure the region’s key places are competitive and successful. We will come out of the global economic down turn. We need to ensure that when we do, the South West is ready to do business.”

Other initiatives outlined in the South West RDA’s ‘Action for Recovery’ document include:

• Access to loans of up to £50,000 from Community Finance Initiatives (CFI). The RDA has invested over £1.6m into CFIs over the last three years and the network has lent over £10m to businesses. For more information call Business Link on 0845 600 9966.

• Access to support and finance for land-based businesses from the Rural Development Programme for England. This is EU money, administered in the South West by the RDA and the Business Link-operated Rural Enterprise Gateway. For more information on how to access this support please ring Business Link on 0845 600 9966 or visit http://www.regsw.org.uk.

• Enhanced support package from the RDA-funded Business Link service, including: financial advice; guidance on how to survive and thrive in difficult times; information on new business opportunities and markets; and access to the more flexible Train to Gain service which will enable businesses to get shorter, more relevant training. For more information on how to access this support please ring Business Link on 0845 600 9966 or visit http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/southwest.

• The RDA and its partners are encouraging Government to make further changes to the Train to Gain scheme to reflect the pressing needs of both businesses and individuals.

• RDA investment in a programme for Union Learning Representatives to promote training in businesses and to provide additional redundancy support to that offered by Jobcentre Plus. For more information please visit http://www.unionlearn.org.uk

In order to prepare businesses in the region for the economic recovery, the RDA is also looking at:

• Ways of establishing an RDA Green Opportunities Fund to help small businesses meet the investment costs of resource efficiency. This will complement the Resource Efficiency Advice Programme delivered by Business Link.

• Ways in which the RDA can develop a package of support for entrepreneurs operating in the field of clean technology.

For further details, or to download 'First Steps: Action for Recovery', visit http://www.southwestrda.org.uk/economicdownturn

Gloucestershire

Littlecombe welcomes first businesses

The first businesses have moved into the new business park at our Agency’s development at Littlecombe, near Dursley.

Heat storage cooking range manufacturer Everhot, Chris Tallis Farm Machinery, Avonports Laundry Services, and print engineers Rooney and Mills have all now moved into premises at the 16-unit first phase of the business park.

This quarter has also seen the long-awaited signing of the Section 106 agreement for the wider development, clearing the way for the work to start on the residential and social sections of Littlecombe. Bloor Homes has committed to build a first phase of 72 homes, which have high quality design and sustainable development credentials.

Once completed, Littlecombe will be a new community comprising 600 homes, community facilities and a 10-acre business park which will provide 170,000 sq ft of employment space at the 92-acre former Lister Petter site.

For more information contact Alison Hatcher at alison.hatcher@southwestrda.org.uk

Ecclesiastical Insurance Group to move to Gloucester Docks

Gloucester’s sixth largest employer the Ecclesiastical Insurance Group has agreed to build its new headquarters on land owned by our Agency at Gloucester Docks.

The firm plans to move all of its 650 staff from its current offices in Brunswick Road in Gloucester city centre to a new-build site at the Southgate Moorings. The multi-million pound project is expected to be completed in 2011.

Chris Foley the South West RDA’s head of regeneration for Gloucestershire and the West of England, said: “It is great news for Gloucester’s economy that such a major employer has committed to staying in the city. We have worked hard to make this site the right one for Ecclesiastical, and we all aspire to deliver a building of the highest design and environmental standards. This move will enable Ecclesiastical to continue to grow their business and drive up productivity.”

For more information contact Chris Foley at chris.foley@southwestrda.org.uk

West of England

Show time at Cabot Circus

Bristol’s £500 million Cabot Circus retail and leisure development threw open its doors in September, welcoming thousands of visitors from across the region.

Cabot Circus has created over 4,000 job opportunities. The West at Work initiative is supported by a number of organisations, including the Learning and Skills Council, our Agency, the local authorities and Job Centre Plus. It has provided intensive support programmes to help local people, particularly in adjoining deprived wards, access numerous job opportunities.

This intensive effort is proving a great success, with many of the retailers speaking very highly of the co-ordinated service, which is supporting their own recruitment drive.

The West at Work initiative will also be heavily engaged in recruitment drives at a number of other major development and regeneration initiatives within the greater Bristol area. There is potential for West at Work to work closely with the Gloucester City Employment Plan and similar initiatives in Cornwall to share best practice and innovative approaches.

For more information, contact Nicola Steadman at Nicola.steadman@southwestrda.org.uk

Work starts at Hengrove Park

Work has started at Hengrove Park in Bristol.

The first phase of the project will deliver a community hospital, a skills academy and new ‘healthplex’ leisure centre.

It will also provide a new national headquarters for global share registry Computershare, offices for international drinks brands company Constellation Europe and drinks supplier Matthew Clark.

Landowner Bristol City Council has awarded a contract to Tarmac to build a construction access which is needed to enable the scheme to progress.

Once completed, phase one will secure more than £100 million of investment in new public facilities for South Bristol, while retaining around 2,000 jobs in the area.

Our Agency has committed £9.7 million into the project, much of which will fund the main infrastructure works that are due to begin in 2009. This will include improvements to the roads surrounding Hengrove Park and the construction of permanent roads and landscaping on-site.

After phase one has been completed, Hengrove Park will still have the capacity to accommodate significant further phases of new employment and highly sustainable housing developments, all designed around a state-of-the-art public park.

For further information, contact Peter Holloway at peter.holloway@southwestrda.org.uk

The region celebrates landmark aerospace deal

South West England's aerospace industry celebrated a landmark investment in the region in September with the transfer of manufacturing assets between Airbus UK at Filton, Bristol, and GKN.

Jane Henderson, chief executive of our Agency, said: "An investment of this magnitude has significant implications for the regional economy as well as the wider aerospace sector. South West England has been home to world leading aerospace technologies for nearly one hundred years. Today, nine of the largest aerospace companies in the UK are based here along with a supply chain of up to 800 companies.

"We proactively support the sector by working with these companies, acting as a catalyst for innovation, skills development and supply chain activities. We have worked closely with Airbus and GKN to facilitate this deal and secure the future of manufacturing in Bristol."

This latest investment makes GKN the third largest engineering company in the UK after BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce. It heralds a new era for the two companies, building on the customer-supplier relationship that has existed for over twenty years.

It will have huge significance for a wide range of suppliers in the aerospace and advanced engineering sectors which are highly represented in both West of England and Gloucestershire.

For further information, contact Graham Harrison at graham.harrison@southwestrda.org.uk

SPark Home to revolutionary new organisation

SPark, the new Bristol and Bath science and technology park on Bristol’s northern fringe, has been earmarked as a ‘first choice location’ by CFMS at a launch event in September.

CFMS LTD, a non profit company, has been established by world leading organisations including Airbus, BAE Systems, Frazer-Nash Consultancy, MBDA UK, Rolls-Royce and Williams F1 to bring about a step change in engineering design simulation processes. One of the first actions will be to develop plans to establish dedicated premises at SPark with help from our Agency.

Speaking at the formal launch of CFMS Ltd in Bristol, Nick Buckland board member, said:

“The establishment of CFMS Ltd brings together some of the world’s leading engineering companies to work together in the South West region. The fact that they have earmarked SPark as their chosen base is testimony not only to the state-of-the-art new facilities that will be available on site but also the vibrant science and technology cluster to which Bristol is home.“

For more information, contact Chris Foley at chris.foley@southwestrda.org.uk

For more information please contact
The West of England and Gloucestershire Area Team
on 0117 933 0234