Ahead of the Worcestershire Development Plans Conference we hear from Gary Woodman, Chief Executive of Worcestershire LEP, on working in a collaborative manner to drive development, regeneration and economic growth across the region.

 

Gary Woodman, Chief Executive – Worcestershire LEP:

These are exciting times for businesses and developers based in Worcestershire in particular, and there’s a real sense of momentum within the local community ahead of the Worcestershire Development Plans Conference in March. Worcestershire LEP is working together with developers and various local partners to continue this momentum, tackle barriers to growth and develop new exciting projects for 2019 that help to strengthen the county’s identity as an exceptional place to live, work, visit and invest.
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From our £71.71m Government-funded Growth Deal, to our €68m EU programme and the £54.5m Local Majors Fund we secured with partners, Worcestershire LEP is helping to bring exciting new projects to life across the county. These projects are crucial in delivering the objectives we set out in our Strategic Economic Plan –  to create 25,000 new jobs, to increase Gross Value Added (GVA) by £2.9bn and to contribute towards the delivery of 21,500 new homes by 2025.

To improve connectivity, and as a unique selling point for the county, Worcestershire LEP is leading on the development of 5G technologies in Industry 4.0, helping to boost productivity by as much as 1%. We’ve invested in Worcestershire Parkway Station which will revolutionise the county’s rail connectivity and bring our county even closer to all four corners of the country.

We’ve also improved the county’s digital and physical infrastructure. By investing in the expanded availability of fibre broadband for residents and businesses, in new large employment sites like Worcester Six and Malvern Hills Science Park, and various flood alleviation measures across the county, we’re modernising Worcestershire as a productive location that attracts high quality businesses.

Worcester 6 Development Worcestershire LEP Employment Skills Jobs Economy

On top of that, we’re helping to promote the county’s exceptionally skilled workforce and, earlier in 2018, we were successful in a national bid for a new Careers Hub in Worcestershire, one of only 20 launched in the UK. The Careers Hub is already helping to bring the county’s schools and further education colleges together with employers and professionals to improve careers education for local young people.

We know that making these improvements are also critical in continuing to grow the attraction of Worcestershire as a location, to bring in investment and to encourage those already in the county to stay in Worcestershire.  When you look towards the plans already in place for the next 12 months, there are many reasons for local residents, businesses and developers to be excited.

There are exciting plans to strengthen the county’s entrepreneurialism and business support, helping to nurture and develop the start-up businesses of the future. Applications are set to re-open for Worcestershire’s first ever technology accelerator, BetaDen, in early 2019 and Worcester will also be opening ‘The Kiln’ in 2019, as a new space for business collaboration and the sharing of ideas. 

There are also many more transport infrastructure improvements set to take place, from the redevelopment of Kidderminster Rail Station to developments on the A38 Corridor and the Pershore Northern Link Road.

It’s this strong working partnership between Worcestershire’s public and private sector that makes the county stand out as an ideal location for developers. When you combine this with the county’s central location, its skilled and productive workforce and its high quality business support, it’s no surprise that we are seeing high profile businesses like Siemens and Kohler Mira invest in the county. With our ever-increasing connectivity, Worcestershire is able to uniquely offer an idyllic way of life that also boasts a connected, creative and dynamic community.

For more information on the work of Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, visit their website: www.wlep.co.uk

 

You can hear further about the work happening in and around the region at the Worcestershire Development Plans Conference next month.

Click here to register for tickets. 
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