The New Urban Dorset
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UK Cross Sector – Autumn 2018 SPOTLIGHT The New Savills Research Urban Dorset Greater influence Strategic growth Homes, workspace & repurposing retail Urban Dorset Urban Dorset By reinvigorating itself and becoming a thriving city, BCP has the opportunity to lead the way in transforming the image of the area and driving growth Key recommendations and opportunities for ‘Urban Dorset’ A city by the sea Urban Dorset All You Need Plan strategically across the The new Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council To Know 1whole urban area to deliver will be formed in April 2019 providing a unique opportunity a joined up approach to growth to rethink the development of the area Use its greater influence From April 2019, Bournemouth, What does ‘Urban to be able to attract more private 2as the 12th largest district Christchurch and Poole will be Dorset’ mean sector funding. to attract public and private combined into one new unitary practically? The merger will enable the 23,500 sector funding authority, ‘Urban Dorset’. What By combining the three new council to restructure its There are 23,500 students at the does this mean for the urban area boroughs together, BCP will workforce (reducing the roles two universities Improve road and rail of Bournemouth, Christchurch have new opportunities. Being which overlap between the 3links across the urban area and Poole (BCP)? larger it will have a greater three boroughs and allowing The opportunity for and to its neighbours to ease influence in Government which for more specialist roles) and ‘Urban Dorset’? movement and allow growth Urban Dorset will help it to attract significant it will be able to have one Combining and concentrating its area. From forming a new Local appealing place to live, work and The creation of ‘Urban Dorset’ funding through City and relationship with its neighbours, resource and attracting greater Plan to funding infrastructure visit. The LEP has big ambitions Brand the area to bring in will mean BCP becomes the Growth Deals. the LEP, local businesses and investment will mean that BCP improvements within the urban area to increase GVA across Dorset by 4more commerce and high 12th largest local authority For example, the £1.7bn landowners, the airport and the will be able to take a more strategic to improve connectivity, the merger 50% by 2038 and create 80,000 value employment building on district in England in terms Transforming Cities Fund two universities amongst others. approach to the planning and growth will allow change to move from additional jobs. its lifestyle offering of population with 394,000 through which the West of the urban area. piecemeal improvements to wholesale By reinvigorating itself and 12th people. This is more people than Midlands has been awarded In its recent statement of intent, the enhancements. becoming a thriving city, BCP has Urban Dorset will be the 12th largest district Build 2,160 homes a year Cardiff, Southampton, Brighton, £250m for improving transport. LEP aims to pursue formal core city Additionally, combining to become the opportunity to lead the way in 5by developing suitable Portsmouth and Exeter and only Being a larger area and more status for BCP and support ‘Urban Dorset’ will enable the area to transforming the image of the area brownfield sites and releasing 14% fewer than Bristol. influential, it is also more likely masterplanning across the urban create a new brand for itself as an and driving growth. Green Belt land Sizeable district Bigger than Cardiff, Brighton and Southampton Economic output Urban Dorset has a similar number of jobs, economic output and Better connect the productivity to Cardiff: Its challenge is to compete with Bristol and Southampton 6business park at the Airport to Wessex Fields and 500,000 £55,000 12 other business centres to 12 miles of beach, 2nd largest natural promote growth and support 450,000 Southampton harbour globally and the LEPs plans an international airport 400,000 £50,000 Bristol Promote, facilitate and 350,000 Cardiff develop the ‘Digital village’ 7 Manchester Birmingham 300,000 at Talbot Village alongside the £45,000 universities to accommodate 250,000 Urban tech and creative start-ups Dorset Population 200,000 10.7m Expand 5G pilot to enhance £40,000 10.7 million tourists 150,000 visit each year 8digital connectivity for all businesses including marine Productivity per worker) (GVA 100,000 Exeter Brighton & Hove engineering sector based in £35,000 Poole Harbour 50,000 0 Repurpose vacant retail Bristol BCP Brighton Southampton Portsmouth Exeter for other uses to increase Cardiff £30,000 5G 9 & Hove £0 £5,000 £10,000 £15,000 £20,000 £25,000 £30,000 footfall Fastest broadband in country and Selected comparable local authority districts GVA (£m) Jobs Source Oxford Economics a 5G testbed invest in key public 10realm improvements to 100,000 200,000 300,000 revitalise core shopping areas BCP will be able to take a more strategic approach to the planning and growth of the urban area Source Oxford Economics, comparison of 41 UK cities excluding London 2 3 Market strengths Market strengths What does BCP have to offer? The area Key features in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole have a lot of appeal. Located on the south Average house prices (July 2018) coast, between the Jurassic Coast to the ■ Below £200,000 west and New Forest to the east, the 12 ■ £200,000 - £400,000 miles of sandy beaches attract over 10 ■ £400,000 - £600,000 million tourists a year and support the ■ £600,000 - £800,000 employment of over 12,000 people. A31 ■ Over £800,000 New Forest ■ Green Belt A338 Ferndown ■ Environmental Designations Silicon beach Wimborne Minster ■ Flood Risk Area BCP’s strengths extend far beyond tourism. University Campuses BCP has high employment, the 10th highest Rail stations number of businesses per person of all UK Rail tracks towns and cities and the fourth highest A roads BCP boundary concentration of digital and creative Borough boundary industries in the UK outside of London giving it the nickname ‘Silicon beach’. It is also the first 5G test bed in the UK. Key assets BCP also has an airport, currently serving European destinations, which has a runway Kinson long enough to operate jumbo jets. There are also two universities: Canford Heath Bournemouth University, renowned for its media courses and Arts University Bournemouth, with over 23,500 students Bournemouth Christchurch between them. With AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League, Bournemouth, and the Poole surrounding area, has become increasingly known internationally. Business centre Parkstone There are twice as many finance and insurance companies per person than Boscombe average for the UK with over 900 financial services businesses (including JP Morgan) and 250 head office operations. The Aviation Business Park, at Bournemouth International Airport, hosts national and international companies, especially those Poole specialising in aerospace engineering Town Centre AFC Bournemouth and defence. Marine manufacturing Poole Lansdowne Stadium Christchurch and engineering companies, including Port 5G Pilot Town Centre Sunseeker, and the headquarters for the Bournemouth RNLI, are based in Poole which has the Purbeck Castle Point Town Centre second largest natural harbour in the world. Canford Cliffs Shopping Centre Choice place to live The appeal of the area makes it an Sandbanks Airport and Aviation attractive choice for retirees and second Business Park home owners. BCP has the highest proportion of over 65s in any UK city. As a result house prices in the highest value Poole Harbour has a high proportion of marine Bournemouth has a high proportion Christchurch has a high areas, Sandbanks and Canford Cliffs, are engineering and manufacturing companies of finance and insurance companies proportion of small tech companies 3.4 times the national average at £950,000. Source HM Land Registry 4 5 Market overview Sector growth Challenges facing BCP 2,160 Number of homes Number of homes being Despite its strengths, BCP has challenges including transport, needed per year in BCP built per year in BCP productivity and housing provision Infrastructure There are a limited number of health relatively low levels of investment and Travelling across the urban area by innovation companies in the area and struggled to grow in the way it did in What does the area need and car is slow and congested, and there investment into providing space for the 70s and 80s when it attracted major are limited connections to the north similar companies could help build financial companies to the area. and west. Rail links make it possible this into a USP, particularly given the how should it be growing? to travel from Christchurch to Poole strengths of Bournemouth University in Housing provision In order to grow into a thriving city BCP needs to meet the existing more quickly, taking 20 minutes, albeit the health and social sciences sector. At a headline level, housing is relatively demand and create space for growth across the different sectors services only go every half an hour and BCP generates a lower proportion unaffordable in BCP. House prices are locations away from stations remain of economic output from information 9, 10 and 12 times average earnings in less accessible. London is nearly 2 hours and communication and professional, Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch Investment in infrastructure is needed to from Bournemouth via train with trains scientific and tech than the UK. However, respectively compared to the national improve connectivity across the urban area running every hour putting the capital these two sectors are forecast to grow average of 8. Theoretically, someone and to the north, east and west, including key beyond a daily commute. Improving the the most in BCP over the next ten years. earning the average wage in BCP could cities of London, Bristol and Southampton.