Sedgemoor Economic Masterplan 2008 - 2026

Sedgemoor - the heart of the South West’s Enterprise Coast A smart economy where dynamic places, entrepreneurial businesses and independent people prosper Sedgemoor Economic Masterplan 2008 - 2026

Sedgemoor - the heart of the South West’s Enterprise Coast A smart economy where dynamic places, entrepreneurial businesses and independent people prosper CONTENTS 3.3 Increasing Educational Attainment – Skills for the Future 50 The Sedgemoor Economic Strategy 3 3.4 Closing the Skills Gap – Local People for Local Jobs 52 The Commitments 5 People Theme - Linkages 54 Sedgemoor – The Place 6 Theme 4: Business 55 Sedgemoor’s Economy Today 9 4.1 Business Infrastructure 57 The Regional / County Policy Context 11 4.2 Manufacturing – Sedgemoor’s Historic Strength 59 SWOT Analysis 22 4.3 Leading in Energy 61 Sedgemoor’s Strategic Priorities and Objectives 24 4.4 Small Business Sectors 63 Smart Growth: The spatial Distribution of New Objectives 25 4.5 Tourism 66 Theme 1: Leadership 28 4.6 Business Productivity 68 Theme 2: Place 30 Business Theme - Linkages 70 2.1 Revitalising Bridgwater 31 Delivery and Performance Management 71 2.2 Burnham on Sea & Highbridge – Transformational Pride 34 Priorities and Delivery 72 2.3 Living, Working, Thriving Rural Areas 36 Action Plan 75 2.4 Cheddar & The Hills / Levels and Moors – A Model for 38 Sustainable Leisure Leadership 75

2.5 Image and Identity 40 Place 76

2.6 Sedgemoor’s Environment – A Golden Opportunity 42 People 81

Theme 3: People 44 Business 83

3.1 Transforming Neighbourhoods 45

3.2 Building Aspiration – Breaking the Worklessness Cycle 48

2 The Sedgemoor Economic Strategy The Economic Strategy sets the goal of moving to a higher value added knowledge driven economy over the course of a single generation. Children preparing to go to school today will move in to a labour market which offers a better range of Sedgemoor in Somerset is, like the County, at a crossroads in terms of its future opportunities than those currently open to their parents. economic development, with strong population and employment growth of recent years being accompanied by some notable inward investment success. At the The Economic Strategy is for the whole of the District of Sedgemoor,with same time, underlying structural weakness in the economy means that there is a economic growth driven by Bridgwater, Burnham on Sea and Highbridge, and need to renew efforts to strengthen traditional sectors and develop new Cheddar; harnessing the potential of both urban and rural areas. While Bridgwater will employment opportunities. be the focus of inward investment and significant population growth, the coastal and rural areas of the District and its market towns have an important role to play in driving Sedgemoor is a distinctive district, shaped by its industrial strengths, its strong tourism economic growth and prosperity as an integral part of a modern, living, working offer, and its outstanding natural environment. Equidistant between Bristol and Exeter, countryside. and closely linked to nearby Taunton, it has traditionally had a rebel and individualistic streak, with an independent culture typified by having the country’s first Arts Centre in The Economic Strategy sets an ambitious agenda, involving all stakeholders, both Bridgwater and more recently its links with Joe Strummer. In addition Sedgemoor private and public sector. Its development reflects a firm partner commitment to take District Council is known for its ‘pro business’ ethos and ‘can do’ attitude and ability to the economic needs and challenges of the District seriously and raises the game in the respond effectively to opportunities – a positive attribute that should be maintained and District, moving from comparing progress with its neighbours, to working across strengthened to improve focus and quality. boundaries. These are all factors that provide a multi-layered context that have shaped Sedgemoor The Strategy is bold, challenging, outward facing and forward looking. However it today and that provide a platform from which to build a strategic framework that will is also firmly based in reality and what is achievable. shape future economic development in order to better meet local needs. In a fast changing world, nationally and internationally, and set against a period of future
Bold: It seeks to galvanise both the public and private sectors to rally behind economic uncertainty, considerable challenges lie ahead if Sedgemoor is to fulfil its a clear vision of a diverse and vibrant Sedgemoor economy; obvious potential, and ensure that all those that live here benefit from renewal and growth in the long term.
Challenging: It sets a new ambition for stakeholders which will require a significant strengthening of service provision and delivery functions; Sedgemoor’s unique geography that gives it competitive advantage, also provides significant future challenges. Many of the District’s potential investment sites, lying
Outward facing: It links local people and businesses to the wider economy, alongside transport corridors, will become more at risk of flooding. To provide investor within the County and the Region, and through targeted marketing welcome confidence, and to deliver Sedgemoor’s ambitious plans, will require a long term more business and visitors attracted by a successful economy; solution to this issue, primarily the Parrett Barrier, as well as a focus on adaptation and mitigation.
Forward looking: It focuses on the future, not the past, looking far beyond recent trends to the global challenges facing business, and the opportunities The term “Sedgemoor in Somerset” is an important one, and reinforces the potential these present; and role that Sedgemoor is able to play in the economic development of the County. Sedgemoor’s opportunities also play a major part in ensuring that the County
Achievable: recognising that the strategy must lead to effective delivery. increases its contribution to the competitiveness and prosperity of the South West.

This Economic Strategy and Masterplan to 2026 sets out an ambitious approach to The Economic Strategy complements the other strategies and policies developed by the challenge of establishing Sedgemoor as an economically vibrant District within the District and County Council. In particular, it complements: the region, recognising the changing global and national economic geography and the need to deliver indigenous growth, while supporting growth in, and benefiting from,
The Sedgemoor District Council Corporate Plan; neighbouring towns such as Taunton and the proximity to the flourishing City of Bristol.
The Sedgemoor Sustainable Community Strategy; Sedgemoor will only prosper as part of a flourishing County and Region. As such it is a
The Somerset Local Area Agreement; 20 year Programme of economic transformation. 3
The Sedgemoor Local Development Framework;
The Housing Strategy and work with Homes in Sedgemoor; and
The emerging Financial Inclusion Strategy.

It has taken account of the Somerset Economic Strategy and the Regional Economic Strategy. Many of the key actions will directly contribute to the high level objectives set out in both of these documents. It has also been developed taking account of the significant work already undertaken as part of the Bridgwater Challenge process.

4 The Commitments centre for creative, digital and media industries, with ICT infrastructure linking smaller businesses to regional, national and international networks. There are ten major commitments, which will transform Sedgemoor over the next 15 years. These are set out in more detail later in this document, and are included here to 6. A regionally significant location for inward investment,withan set out the scale of ambition to which stakeholders are committed. Although some of established programme of linking local businesses and residents to business these commitments will take place over different time periods, it will be their collective and employment opportunities from new investment and in order to grow the impact which will transform Sedgemoor and impact on businesses, communities and energy and logistics sectors. residents. In terms of people: The benefits of these commitments are of regional significance and will contribute directly to strengthening the economy of the County. Many will help to secure new 7. Bridgwater College will be the leading provider of rural based further and investment and employment which will benefit adjacent districts and build momentum higher education, with centres of excellence in sectors directly relevant to and a ‘success factor’ that will inspire and motivate others to contribute. In a number of the Sedgemoor and Somerset economy, and drawing students from all over cases, the benefits will contribute to regional priorities, notably in relation to energy England. food and drink, tourism and logistics. Many of these commitments will also support national policy objectives in a number of areas. It is therefore important that these 8. Outstanding schools, using Building Schools for the Future and the newly contributions are recognised by regional and national stakeholders and that where established Education Trust as the driver, with consistently improving appropriate, additional resources are made available. attainment levels, playing a central role in improving the opportunities available to young people in terms of University, further education and moving The commitments are: in to employment.

In terms of place: 9. Rejuvenated neighbourhoods and communities, with areas historically affected by high levels of deprivation, established on an upward curve, st 1. Bridgwater will be the South West’s leading exponent of a 21 Century moving out of the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods nationally, as more enterprise and business hub, an exemplar town offering outstanding effective inter agency working including education, health, police and others services and facilities, on a par with large urban centres, for knowledge based provide new opportunities for those excluded from the mainstream economy. industries, set in a vibrant leisure, cultural and retail centre. These nine commitments present a challenge for all of the stakeholders with an 2. Burnham on Sea will be a good example of the successful regeneration of interest in Sedgemoor and its communities. In many cases, key agencies have a remit small coastal towns, with regeneration led by the private sector following which includes the County, and in some cases, the region. It is entirely appropriate that catalytic public sector investment. these agencies consider the propositions developed for Sedgemoor in the context of wider interest. These commitments also place a responsibility on all of the 3. Cheddar and the Hills / Levels and Moors: as a sustainable rural community stakeholders to consistently deliver high quality services in all areas, and develop more and one of the country’s leading examples of a sustainable activity-led effective planning, development and delivery arrangements for new investments and tourism product based on the natural environment. initiatives.

In terms of business and investment: Sedgemoor requires dedicated leadership, with the mandate to pursue the supporting investment and implementation of key initiatives to make substantive progress for the 4. Sedgemoor will be one of the UKs leading centres for energy related first nine commitments. This role falls to, and has been embraced by the District business, employment and skills, with Hinkley, Puriton and Bridgwater Council, with a final commitment that: College as the foundation, and other initiatives based on renewable energy and low carbon technologies. 10. Sedgemoor will be recognised as the most enterprise driven and business customer focused Council in the South West, with planning polices which 5. A combination of enterprises based in Bridgwater and a large number of support enterprise and investment, and a Senior Member and Officer Team home based businesses (through a progressive policy on home working and with the capacity and experience to secure and support new investment of all property adaptations in rural areas), will establish Sedgemoor as a leading types. 5 Project3:19889_SED_P6-7 2/10/09 11:16 Page 1

SedgemoorSedgemoor – TheThe PlacePlace OfOf iitsts 111,000111,000 residentresident ppopulationopulation justjust overover 36,00036,000 livelive inin BBridgwater,ridgwater, thethe administrativeadministrative andand bbusinessusiness hhearteart ofof tthehe DDistrict.istrict. TThehe towntown hashas llongong bbeeneen sseeneen aass oneone ofof thethe economiceconomic powerhousespowerhouses ooff Somerset,Somerset, withwith a proudproud mmanufacturinganufafacturing hheritage.eritage. MManyany SedgemoorSedgemoor isis a uuniquenique DDistrictistrict faffacingacing a rangerange ooff cchallengeshallenges aandnd mmanyany opportunities.opportunities. ofof thethe industriesindustries thatthat BBridgwaterridgwater hhasas historicallyhistorically eembracedmbraced werewere onceonce ““cuttingcutting edge”,edge”, MManyany ooff thesethese cchallengeshallenges aandnd oopportunitiespportunities areare llinkedinked wwithith thethe geographygeography andand providingproviding a historyhistory ofof innovationinnovation andand eenterprise.nterprise. pphysicalhysical assetsassets ooff thethe District.District. WhileWhile BBridgwaterridgwater iiss thethe locationlocation ofof muchmuch ooff SSomerset’somerset’s manufacturingmanufacturing bbase,ase, a numbernumber ofof itsits neighbourhoodsneighbourhoods ssufferuffffer ffromrom highhigh llevelsevels ofof deprivation,deprivation, inin pparticulararticular iinn relationrelation ttoo skillsskills levelslevels andand educationaleducational attainment,attainment, a ssituationituation exacerbatedexacerbated byby thethe closureclosure ooff keykey employers.employers. TheThe mmostost wwellell kknownnown ooff thesethese waswas IInnoviannovia (previously(previously BritishBritish Cellophane),Cellophane), whichwhich aatt oneone ttimeime employedemployed overover 33,500,500 aandnd cclosedlosed inin MayMay 2005.2005. LowLow llevelsevels ooff educationaleducational attainmentattainment aarere ofof pparticulararticular cconcernoncern withwith threethree BridgwaterBridgwater schoolsschools beingbeing namednamed iinn thethe Government’sGovernment’s cchallengehallenge toto iimprovemprove tthehe performanceperfrformance ooff poorpoor performingperfrforming schools.schools. TheThe BBuildinguilding SchoolsSchools fforor tthehe FFutureuture ProgrammeProgramme willwill bbee thethe keykey initiativeinitiative goinggoing forwardfoforward tthathat willwill aaimim toto addressaddress educationaleducational attainmentattainment butbut alsoalso ccontributeontribute toto ttacklingackling widerwider socialsocial issues.issues.

BridgwaterBridgwater iiss aalsolso homehome ttoo thethe famousfafamous ccarnival,arnival, thethe largestlargest illuminatedilluminated pprocessionrocession inin EuropeEurope andand a culturalcultural focusfofocus fforor mmanyany inin thethe town.town. IItt aattractsttracts significantsignificant numbersnumbers ooff visitorsvisitors aandnd hhasas oonn aaverageverage 1130,00030,000 inin attendance.attendance. TheThe ccarnivalarnival isis oneone ofof thethe symbolssymbols ofof tthehe town’stown’s ffiercelyiercely independentindependent spirit.spirit.

Bridgwater,Bridgwater, andand SedgemoorSedgemoor moremore broadly,broadly, enjoyenjoy excellentexcellent transporttransport cconnectionsonnections wwithith thethe M5M5 aandnd tthehe WestWest CoastCoast mainmain llineine passingpassing throughthrough tthehe DDistrictistrict meaningmeaning sshorthort traveltravel timestimes ttoo LondonLondon andand tthehe mmidlands.idlands. WWhilehile tthehe M5M5 mmotorwayotorway rrunsuns northnorth toto southsouth tthroughhrough thethe heartheart ofof SSedgemoor,edgemoor, tthehe rrestest ofof thethe pprincipalrincipal transporttransport nnetworketwork iiss mmadeade upup ooff thethe A38A38 wwhichhich runsruns rroughlyoughly pparallelarallel ttoo thethe motorwaymotorway ((andand wwasas thethe originaloriginal north-southnorth-south route),route), andand tthehe A39A39 wwhichhich runsruns bbroadlyroadly eeastast wwestest andand linkslinks SedgemoorSedgemoor wwithith MineheadMinehead SedgemoorSedgemoor lieslies inin Somerset,Somerset, withinwithin thethe SouthSouth WWestest ooff England,England, facingfafacing tthehe SSevernevern andand tthehe northernnorthern ppeninsulaeninsula toto thethe wwestest andand GGlastonburylastonbury toto thethe eeast).ast). OOtherther settlementssettlements EEstuarystuary oonn itsits wwesternestern sside.ide. SSedgemooredgemoor iiss principallyprincipally ccoveredovered byby twotwo JJointoint CharacterCharacter areare linkedlinked byby B roads.roads. AAreasreas – thethe SomersetSomerset LevelsLevels aandnd MoorsMoors andand tthehe MMidid SSomersetomerset Hills,Hills, withwith thethe MMendipendip HHillsills onon itsits nnorthorth eeastast ffringe,ringe, aandnd smallsmall ppartsarts ooff thethe QQuantockuantock HHillsills aandnd thethe VValeale ooff TTauntonaunton aandnd QQuantockuantock FringesFringes toto thethe SouthSouth West.West. ItIt iiss principallyprincipally a fflat,lat, oopenpen InIn aaddition,ddition, SedgemoorSedgemoor bbenefitsenefits fromfrom thethe eexcellentxcellent BBroadbandroadband coveragecoverage ooff tthehe rrestest ooff llandscapeandscape ofof wetwet pasture,pasture, arablearable andand wwetlandetland divideddivided uupp byby wwetet dditchesitches oror 'rhynes','rhynes', thethe County,County, meaningmeaning thatthat itsits businessbusiness locationlocation offeroffffer isis a sstrongtrong oone.ne. SSedgemoor’sedgemoor’s ssurrounded,urrounded, aandnd divideddivided uup,p, byby lowlow hills,hills, ridgesridges andand iislandsslands wwhichhich fofformorm ddistinctiveistinctive position,position, equidistantequidistant betweenbetween thethe rrapidlyapidly expandingexpanding economieseconomies ofof BristolBristol andand EExeter,xeter, sskylines.kylines. offersoffffers muchmuch potential,potential, asas doesdoes itsits proximityproximity toto Taunton,Taunton, Somerset’sSomerset’s ccountyounty ttown.own. TThehe relationshiprelationship bbetweenetween TTauntonaunton andand BridgwaterBridgwater isis a complicatedcomplicated one,one, butbut oneone thatthat isis TThehe highhigh qqualityuality environmentenvironment providesprovides somesome keykey aadvantagesdvantages forfor tthehe DistrictDistrict inin thatthat itit crucialcrucial fforor tthehe economiceconomic vitalityvitality ofof bbothoth ttowns.owns. ItIt willwill bbee essentialessential ttoo refinerefine tthehe rroleole ooff iiss sseeneen aass a ccentralentral ppartart ofof a highhigh qualityquality ooff llife.ife. IItt aalsolso playsplays anan iimportantmportant partpart iinn thethe bothboth townstowns andand theirtheir jointjoint oofferffffer andand iinter-linkages.nter-linkages. pprofilerofile ofof tthehe DDistrict,istrict, mmakingaking iitt aattractivettractive ttoo hhighigh vvaluealue addedadded inwardinward iinvestment.nvestment. TheThe BridgwaterBridgwater ChallengeChallenge processprocess willwill developdevelop tthehe spatialspatial sstrategytrategy andand ttransformationransformation TThehe environmentenvironment aalsolso pprovidesrovides constraintsconstraints toto iinwardnward investment,investment, iinn particularparticular inin plansplans forfofor tthehe ttownown fofforor tthehe nnextext 5500 year,year, translatingtranslating a nnewew towntown visionvision aandnd thethe pplannedlanned rrelationelation ttoo ffloodlood rrisk,isk, withwith tthehe RRiveriver PParrettarrett inin pparticulararticular bbeingeing tidaltidal throughoutthroughout thethe regionalregional ggrowthrowth fofforor thethe aarearea intointo a newnew strategystrategy ttoo rregenerateegenerate thethe keykey settlementsettlement inin DDistrict’sistrict’s area,area, aandnd thethe nneedeed ttoo protectprotect iitsts ccharacterharacter fromfrom oobtrusivebtrusive development,development, a Sedgemoor,Sedgemoor, andand tackletackle infrastructureinfrastructure gapsgaps aandnd prioritiespriorities pparticulararticular iissuessue inin ““open”open” landscapelandscape types.types.

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SSedgemoor:edgemoor: PPrincipalrincipal EEconomicconomic GGrowthrowth PPointsoints aandnd DDriversrivers TThehe ssmallmall ttownown ooff CCheddarheddar rrepresentsepresents tthehe mmainain ““rural”rural” ssettlementettlement aandnd pprovidesrovides a foffocusocus fofforor eenterprisenterprise aandnd bbusinessusiness iinn tthehe nnorthorth eeastast ooff tthehe DDistrict,istrict, hhostsosts a rrangeange ooff ssmallmall wworkspaceorkspace ssupportingupporting llocalocal bbusiness.usiness. AAss ssuchuch tthishis iiss aann iimportantmportant sstrategictrategic ssite.ite.

TThehe coastalcoastal sstriptrip iiss tthehe mmainain ddriverriver fforor ttourismourism iinn tthehe DDistrict,istrict, wwhichhich aattractsttracts aalmostlmost a tthirdhird ooff thethe ttotalotal nnumberumber ooff ccountyounty vvisitors.isitors. RRecentecent ffiguresigures sshowhow tthathat SSedgemooredgemoor bbenefitedenefited ffromrom 22.7.7 mmillionillion oovernightvernight sstaystays aandnd 22.2.2 mmillionillion ddayay vvisits,isits, tthehe fformerormer bbeingeing mmoreore tthanhan aanyny ootherther SSomersetomerset DDistrict.istrict. UUnsurprisingly,nsurprisingly, ttherefore,herefore, ttourismourism iiss oonene ooff tthehe llargestargest eemployersmployers iinn tthehe ddistrict,istrict, aalthoughlthough ttherehere iiss a ssignificantignificant sseasonaleasonal eelement.lement. TThishis hhasas bbeeneen rreducingeducing aass eeffortsfffforts ttoo llengthenengthen tthehe sseasoneason aaroundround tthehe sshoulderhoulder mmonthsonths hhaveave rresultedesulted iinn mmoreore ssustainedustained eemploymentmployment ooverver a llongeronger pperiod.eriod.

WWhilehile iinvestmentnvestment bbyy ttourismourism ooperatorsperators hhasas iincreasedncreased tthehe qqualityuality ooff faffacilities,acilities, BBurnham-urnham- oon-Sean-Sea hhasas beenbeen aaffectedffffefected bbyy a llackack ooff iinvestmentnvestment ooverver mmanyany yyears.ears. IItsts inclusioninclusion iinn tthehe MMarketarket aandnd CCoastaloastal TTownsowns IInitiativenitiative lleded ttoo tthehe eestablishmentstablishment ofof a fframeworkramework fofforor pphysicalhysical rregeneration.egeneration. A mmasteraster planplan hhasas bbeeneen ddevelopedeveloped sshowinghowing hhowow aallll tthehe sstreetstreets aandnd sspacespaces wwithinithin BBurnhamurnham ccanan bbee jjoinedoined ttogetherogether ttoo ccreatereate aann aattractivettractive eenvironmentnvironment fofforor rresidentsesidents aandnd vvisitors.isitors. FFurtherurther wworkork hhasas bbeeneen undertakenundertaken ffocusingocusing sspecificallypecifically oonn tthehe ttown’sown’s hhighigh sstreettreet aarea.rea.

CCheddarheddar GGorgeorge iiss tthehe mmostost faffamousamous ooff tthehe iinlandnland touristtourist aattractionsttractions iinn SSedgemoor,edgemoor, wwithith a nnationalational aandnd iinternationalnternational pprofilerofile aandnd rreceivingeceiving ooverver 880,0000,000 vvisitorsisitors a yyear.ear. CCheddarheddar hhasas bbeeneen a ddestinationestination fforor vvisitorsisitors fforor ccenturies,enturies, mmanyany ccomingoming toto vviewiew tthehe mmagnificentagnificent llimestoneimestone ggorgeorge ccarvedarved intointo tthehe southernsouthern sslopeslopes ooff tthehe MMendipendip HHills.ills. TThehe nnumberumber ooff vvisitorsisitors isis ssubstantial,ubstantial, aalthoughlthough mmanyany aarere ddayay vvisitorsisitors sstayingtaying eelsewherelsewhere iinn tthehe region.region.

RRuralural ttourismourism iiss aalsolso iimportantmportant iinn SSedgemoor,edgemoor, aalthoughlthough tthehe oofferffffer iiss mmoreore ddiverse.iverse. ThisThis eelementlement ooff tthehe marketmarket rreflectseflects tthehe aattractivenessttractiveness ooff ppartsarts ooff thethe rregion,egion, iincludingncluding DDevonevon aandnd CCornwall,ornwall, fforor tthosehose sseekingeeking a mmoreore rrelaxedelaxed aandnd llessess ccommercialommercial hholidayoliday ddestination.estination.

WWhilehile ddistributionistribution ((mainlymainly rretailetail andand wwholesaleholesale aactivity)ctivity) aandnd hhotelsotels aandnd rrestaurantsestaurants TThehe ccoastaloastal towntown ooff BBurnhamurnham oonn SSeaea hhasas a uuniquenique hhistory,istory, ccharacterharacter aandnd iidentitydentity eemploymploy ooverver 111,0001,000 ppeople,eople, mmanufacturinganufacturing aalsolso rretainsetains a sstrongtrong bbasease iinn tthehe DDistrict,istrict, wwhichhich rreflectseflects hhowow iitt hhasas evolvedevolved ffirstirst aass aann aagriculturalgricultural ttownown fforor tthehe faffarmersarmers wwhoho aandnd ddespiteespite rrecentecent ddeclineseclines sstilltill eemploysmploys ooverver 66,000,000 ppeople.eople. A pparticularlyarticularly iimportantmportant ddrainedrained tthehe llandand ttoo tthehe eeast;ast; llaterater aass a sspapa ttownown aandnd ffinallyinally aass a sseasideeaside rresort.esort. ((andand ggrowing)rowing) ssubub ssectorector iiss tthehe mmanufactureanufafacture ooff foffoodood aandnd ddrinkrink pproductsroducts aandnd TThehe cchallengeshallenges fforor BurnhamBurnham aandnd HHighbridgeighbridge aarere ssimilarimilar ttoo tthosehose ooff BBridgwaterridgwater SSedgemooredgemoor hhasas ssomeome hhighigh pprofilerofile bbusinessesusinesses iinn tthishis aarearea ssuchuch aass YYeoeo VValley.alley. AAnn aalthoughlthough wwithith tthehe ffocusocus aass mmuchuch oonn tthehe ttouristourist oofferffffer aass tthehe rretailetail oofferffffefer ((thethe llocalocal TTouristourist iincreasinglyncreasingly iimportantmportant ssectorector eexhibitingxhibiting rrapidapid ggrowthrowth hhasas bbeeneen bbusinessusiness sserviceservices aandnd IInformationnformation CCentreentre rrecordsecords ooverver 1100,00000,000 vvisitorsisitors a yyear).ear). NNorthorth ooff BBurnham-on-Seaurnham-on-Sea llieie ffinance.inance. TThishis hashas sseeneen eemploymentmployment ggrowrow ffromrom uundernder 44,000,000 iinn 11998998 ttoo ooverver 66,000,000 iinn tthehe ssettlementsettlements ooff BBreanrean aandnd BBerrow,errow, ssmallermaller vvillagesillages tthathat aarere aalmostlmost eentirelyntirely ddevotedevoted 22006006 wwithith tthehe bbestest pperformingerfrforming ssubub sectorsector bbeingeing rrealeal eestatestate aactivitiesctivities wwhichhich hhaveave sseeneen ttoo ttourismourism dduringuring tthehe ssummerummer mmonths.onths. TThehe ttownsowns ccaterater fforor aadultsdults aandnd yyoungerounger vvisitorsisitors aann eeightfoldightfofold iincreasencrease iinn eemploymentmployment ((althoughalthough iitt rremainsemains ttoo bbee sseeneen howhow tthishis ssubub aatt tthehe mmanyany hholidayoliday ccentres.entres. TTheyhey aarere aalsolso aadjacentdjacent ttoo llongong bbeaches,eaches, ooutdoorutdoor aandnd ssectorector rreactseacts ttoo ffutureuture eeconomicconomic uuncertainty).ncertainty). iindoorndoor aamusementsmusements aandnd ggiveive aaccessccess ttoo oonene ooff tthehe SSouthouth WWest'sest's bbiggestiggest lleisureeisure pparks.arks.

7 Growth of the distribution sector provides a further strong opportunity for the district. A development is around Burnham Town Centre and the extension of existing industrial significant employment base is already present in Sedgemoor and there is evidence of areas in Highbridge. Use of policy based criteria will allow development opportunities continuing demand for large format accommodation within the district, particularly in rural areas to be considered on a site by site basis. This will support diversification close to its motorway junctions. Such development will need to be planned in a way of the rural economy without being prescriptive regarding the nature and scale of that does not jeopardise Sedgemoor’s broader economic aspirations and ensures that development or limiting the site allocations to be made in urban areas. high quality employment opportunities for local people are created. In addition to economic planning considerations, further site developments will need to The development of Express Park marked a significant step for Bridgwater which has consider physical challenges to delivery. Care will be required across the district to helped to cater for the requirements of local and incoming businesses and to improve accommodate flood mitigation measures and cater for increased traffic flows, as perceptions of the town as a place for business. The development has accommodated examples, to ensure that development can function effectively and be sustainable. the expansion needs of locally based businesses such as Gerber’s and catered for the needs of national operations including the NHS and O2. At the other end of the town, development of the Regional Rural Business Centre has allowed the district to accommodate one of the largest agricultural auction centres in the country, celebrate strengths in agri-business and house one of the largest, ‘greenest’ fresh milk dairies in Europe run by Robert Wisemans.

Significant sites for development remain across the district, many of which are the legacy of strong economic performance within the district historically. Careful planning through policy and development management services will be required to ensure that these sites are put to the most effective use in allowing the district to realise its economic ambitions. There are opportunities for the district to continue to build on its strengths including as a location for distribution but also to explore ways in which to further challenge perceptions, for example by establishing Bridgwater as an acknowledged office location, potentially focused on sector strengths such as food and drink, to help diversify the economy and employment base.

Bridgwater will provide the focus for employment development within the district reflecting the presence of the transport network and workforce and the town’s designation in the RSS. The town will provide the focus for B1 development whilst continuing to accommodate demand for B2 and B8 provision.

Opportunities to extend the Junction 23 and Junction 24 development areas are evident through the Employment Land Review. Proximity to the motorway networks and the availability of land suggest that pressures for development will build. Whilst they will be important locations for employment growth careful consideration will be required regarding the scale of development that can be appropriately accommodated in these locations and the nature of supporting works that will be required, for example investment in the transport network.

Outside Bridgwater, there are opportunities to develop and diversify the economic offer on a scale appropriate to the setting. The preferred secondary location for employment 8 Sedgemoor’s Economy Today This has resulted in relatively high employment levels within the resident community, although the skills profile is poor, with high numbers of the workforce with no or limited Sedgemoor is one of the fastest growing districts in the country, a long term trend with qualifications. National work on skills and learning has indicated that those with limited recently revised population forecasts suggesting the pace of population growth is qualifications and skills will find it increasingly difficult to secure employment. More increasing. While this growth is predicted to be accompanied by higher numbers of positively, the District has high levels of those qualified at Level 3, although this is off- older people, it will be primarily be driven by in-migration of those of working age.. set by very low numbers qualified at degree level and above.

Skills of Working Age Population, Sedgemoor, Somerset and South West, 2006 Population Change In Somerset 1981 - 2029 1981 1991 2001 2011 2016 2029 Sedgemoor 90,000 98,600 106,000 116,500 121,800 134,700 Somerset 430,700 465,700 498,700 543,300 565,400 621,600 South West 5302.1 5484.4 5946.6 5302.1 Source: Mid Year Population Estimates, Nomis, 2006

Sedgemoor’s economy has undergone major changes in the past eight years, and many of the trends are similar to those of large urban economies. Manufacturing employment has declined, although at a slower rate than nationally, while employment growth has been driven by service sector employment, much of which has been driven by lower value added service in distribution and leisure. As noted in the recent Taylor Report, urban and rural economies are becoming more similar, dependent upon service based employment. Source: Annual Population Survey, ONS, 2006 Employment Growth by Key Sector The skills profile reflects the historic and recent employment pattern, with high numbers of Level 3 indicative of the significant manufacturing base, and high levels of Level 2 linked to manufacturing, retail/tourism and more recently distribution. The relatively low levels of residents qualified at level 4 (degree level) reflects the absence of significant employers of highly qualified labour, such as business and professional services and higher education.

Source: Annual Business Inquiry (2006) Employment growth in Sedgemoor over the past ten years has been very strong, among the highest in the region, increasing its contribution to the County’s economy.

9 For a predominantly rural area, Sedgemoor has a high proportion of residents living in commitment by the Council to work with training providers and local businesses to communities categorised as within the 10% and 20% most deprived nationally. These promote a culture of ‘investment in training’ and encourage accredited vocational are focussed in the urban areas, although there is evidence of more localised progression. deprivation in rural areas on a number of indicators. The table below sets out the scale of the required change. Although the workforce in Sedgemoor has been up-skilling for some time, accelerating this trend is one of the key objectives of the strategic stakeholders. The graph shows high numbers currently achieving at levels 1 and 2 (the equivalent to 5 good GCSEs or below) but low numbers achieving at level 3 and particularly level 4 (degree level or equivalent), to which, according to Leitch, 40% of the workforce should be educated by 2020.

Profile of qualifications and Leitch 2020 Targets

Economic Projections and Challenges

While economic forecasts for Somerset and Sedgemoor predict further significant employment gains, this is based on a growing population. This growth will inevitably create employment in local service provision and will need to be managed in a way that promotes the long-term success of the area - encouraging new and existing families and communities to contribute to the area’s development. The other basis of the forecast is around key sectors such as distribution, where Sedgemoor is an Source: Annual Population Survey/ Leitch Review of Skills: Final Report 2006 attractive location for new investment. The key change is to improve the quality of employment growth in terms of securing a higher proportion of higher paid and higher Sedgemoor’s excellent record in employment growth, along with strong population and skilled jobs. This is fundamental to increasing incomes. employment growth forecasts, presents an unusual challenge. The core issue is one of the quality of new employment, rather than the scale, and its location, with an The greatest single barrier to the development of a higher value added service opportunity to use employment growth to revitalise urban and rural centres. economy is the skills base of the workforce. The Leitch Review of skills has set clear targets for the proportion of the workforce needed to be educated to degree level and The relatively poor showing on the Index of Deprivation, is the second major challenge above by 2020 for an internationally competitive economy. These set targets for both which emerges from the economic analysis, with issues of educational attainment, urban and rural economies. skills and employability at the heart of any response to reduce worklessness in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Sedgemoor has the potential to transform its workforce by the up-skilling of the current workforce, companies creating new higher skilled jobs within the current workforce, and new investment with high proportions of graduate educated labour. As an attractive place to live, Sedgemoor is well placed to attract higher skilled workers provided high quality jobs are available. Achieving change in this area will require 10 THE REGIONAL / COUNTY POLICY CONTEXT European Policy

Introduction The expansion of the European Union (EU) in 2004 and the general development of policy at a European level are significant for Sedgemoor. It is important that the district Sedgemoor’s future economic prosperity is heavily influenced by local, regional and understands developments at EU level that will not only influence the economic national policy. The District’s Economic Strategy therefore needs to be consistent with development of Sedgemoor at a policy level but also in relation to the availability of these policy agendas, complementing and contributing to wider regional and national European funding that can be spent in the district through the 2007-2012 operational goals whilst catering for the particular needs of Sedgemoor as a district. There are a programmes. wide range of policies and strategies that influence the Sedgemoor Economic Strategy, these are outlined below. This chapter looks at policy agendas from the European Full engagement with these issues is important to ensure that Sedgemoor benefits level to the local level to identify the key policy issues that apply. from the opportunities available, develops a powerful voice alongside Somerset that can influence decision making at European level and that the European aspirations of Sedgemoor are firmly embedded within its Economic Development Strategy. Policy Context European policy of particular relevance includes: • The Lisbon Strategy • The Gothenburg Strategy • EU Structural Funds • The Common Agricultural Policy, Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) and Local Action

There are a number of sources of support available through the various European regional programmes, a number of which are already operating in the district, such as the European Social Fund. Many of these funds provide opportunities to develop new project ideas in support of the Economic Strategy, and their time period - 2007-2013 – makes them potential sources for the next five years.

EUROPEAN CONTEXT: KEY POLICY ISSUES

Maximising the effective use of European Funding through the Cooperation and Competitiveness Operational Programmes.

Ensuring a high take up of support through the Regional ESF Framework.

Maximising the impact of the recently secured Local Action funding, and wider RDPE sources, within Sedgemoor.

11 National Policy and an increased emphasis on the importance of local authorities working together across boundaries to boost sub-regional economies. Central government policy exerts a considerable influence on Sedgemoor as does the stewardship of the economy at a national level by the Treasury. Individual government More specifically it proposes: policies for economic and community well-being, especially when they relate to rural issues, are also important as is wider national economic policy. National policies that • empowering all local authorities to promote economic development and are particularly relevant include: neighbourhood renewal, with greater flexibility, stronger partnership working and cooperation from other agencies, and better incentives for • The Rural Strategy; achieving economic growth and for ensuring disadvantaged areas benefit • The Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy; from and contribute to economic development; and • The National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal and the Urban White Paper; • a differential approach that supports local authorities in all areas to work • The Sustainable Communities Plan; together more effectively where they so wish, for example through pooling • Local Government White Paper; resources, responsibilities and targets at the sub-regional level, and • Leitch Review of Skills; supporting the development of robust decision-making at this level. • The Review of Sub-National Economic Development and Regeneration (SNR); and The SNR places a strong emphasis on cross boundary working, where appropriate, • Draft Planning policy Statement 4. and strengthened capacity to deliver. This offers new opportunities to those organisations with a proven track record in delivery and robust strategies and implementation plans and empowers Sedgemoor District Council to have a stronger leadership and place-shaping role at local level. Review of Sub-National Economic Development and Regeneration (SNR) A single housing and regeneration delivery agency The SNR is of particular relevance to the Economic Strategy. In summary, it promotes a sub regional and local approach to the delivery of economic development, and as The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) formed on 1 December 2008 through the such, is particularly relevant to the County and Sedgemoor as a District. transfer of the functions and assets of English Partnerships and the investment functions of the Housing Corporation, is now the single housing and regeneration In July 2007 the Government published the Review of Sub-National Economic delivery agency for England, “helping to create great places and affordable homes”. Development and Regeneration (SNR). The SNR was published in light of the need Aiming to be a national agency that works locally HCA will act as a bridge between for the UK to become a knowledge economy in order to compete globally against other national targets and local ambitions, harnessing the resources of public, private and rapidly advancing economies. For this to be realised, the UK must ensure that its voluntary sectors, providing a single point of contact for all those involved in helping policy-making and governance is robust enough to create the right platform for wealth- communities to thrive. The role of HCA in the long term regeneration and growth of creating companies and entrepreneurs. This relies on a system of national, regional, Bridgwater may be an important one. sub-regional and local government which allows British business to invest, innovate and make profits, and at the same time create opportunities for all. Planning Policy Statement 4 (PPS4)

A vision for reform was therefore proposed in the SNR. For central Government, the The planning system affects productivity and employment – the two drivers of Review proposes a clearer set of objectives and responsibilities to support better economic growth – and influences wider economic objectives such as regeneration coordination at all levels. At the regional level, it outlines a continuing RDA focus on and the provision of new housing which contribute to quality of life. The purpose of delivering for business and also proposes a more strategic role; working closely with PPS4 is to put in place a national planning policy framework for economic partners to prepare and implement a single overarching strategy for the region’s development at regional, sub-regional and local levels for both urban and rural areas. sustainable future. Operating within this framework, PPS4 places responsibility on the regional planning bodies and local planning authorities to determine how best to plan for economic For local authorities such as Sedgemoor, it builds on the devolution changes in the development, in the context of their responsibilities and taking account of their Local Government White Paper and proposes a stronger focus on sustainable particular local circumstances. economic development and regeneration, a renewed partnership with other agencies, 12 The policy sets out how planning bodies must develop a robust evidence base to underpin their decisions and to ensure that they have a flexible and responsive approach to providing for the needs of business not simply by identifying a supply of land, but by making better use of market information to inform their plans and decision- making. By achieving a proper balance between economic opportunities and environmental and social issues, planning development is sustainable and continues to deliver the stability, jobs and growth that communities need.

As a result of PPS4, regional and local planning bodies now support economic development by ensuring that they understand and take into account what their economies need to remain competitive, and responsive to the needs of business, and factor in the benefits of economic development alongside environmental and social factors.

NATIONAL CONTEXT: KEY POLICY ISSUES

The Government’s Rural Strategy emphasises improving the quality and accessibility of rural business support services and creating greater added value in the rural economy.

The Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy highlights the importance of reconnecting farm businesses and food producers with consumers, the promotion of higher value added produce, quality assurance schemes, support for farm diversification and advisory services to help businesses adapt to change.

The Urban White paper saw long term, integrated approaches to land use, transport, infrastructure and economic development as being key to the future growth of larger towns like Bridgwater and their role in supporting the economic viability of surrounding communities.

The National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal promotes a realistic and targeted approach to the regeneration of deprived communities.

The SNR promotes the devolution of responsibility for economic development to local authorities, empowering the district council to promote development and renewal with greater flexibility and to work in partnership with other local authorities to do so.

PPS4 promotes thoroughly evidence-based planning policy that contributes to the economic as well as social and spatial development of an area.

13 South West Regional Policy Context The RSS has been developed alongside the Regional Economic Strategy to enhance economic prosperity and quality of employment opportunity, whilst safeguarding The District of Sedgemoor sits within a strong regional economic policy framework. sustainable communities. The RSS contains policies to enable all cities and towns to This is coordinated largely by the South West Regional Development Agency, assisted make the appropriate level of contribution to the region’s overall economic mainly by the South West Regional Assembly and Government Office for the South performance. The principal role of the RSS is to ensure that there is a ready supply of West. The following strategies are of particular relevance: suitable sites and buildings, that the transport system in the region is operating efficiently to reduce congestion levels, and that the supply of housing will enable the • The Integrated Regional Strategy; workforce to live closer to their place of work. • The Draft Regional Spatial Strategy; and • The Regional Economic Strategy. Geographically, the RSS comments mainly on the strategically significant cities and towns (SSCTs) in the region rather than in relation to district boundaries. Sedgemoor Integrated Regional Strategy is therefore included mainly in relation to Bridgwater. In the RSS the town "#$%& $ '()"#*)*+,$-% -(#* ,( .$/+,(+0 "-(1232+4 5(6& 2+ &*',(-& +(, $& 7*## -*"-*&*+,*3 2+ The integrated regional strategy encourages individuals, organisations and .$/+,(+8& *'(+()%0 $+3 "-(1232+4 2+ ,9* )$2+0 #(7*- '(&, 9(/&2+4: .9* ;<< &/44*&,& ,9$, partnerships across the South West to work together to address the region’s economic =-2347$,*-8& 4-(7,9 &9(/#3 6* &/6&,$+,2$##% #(7*- ,9$+ .$/+,(+8& ,( *+&/-* ,9$, needs. The main aim of the strategy is to enhance economic prosperity and the quality /+&/&,$2+$6#* "$,,*-+& (> 3*1*#(")*+, $-* +(, '-*$,*3: of employment opportunity within the region. This is being realised through the following objectives: Administratively, Somerset County Council, Sedgemoor and Taunton Deane District Councils are encouraged to maintain the relative relationships between Taunton, • to ensure that housing development and the needs of the economy are Bridgwater and Wellington, plan for their complementary balanced growth, and planned for together. maximise the use of previously developed land and buildings. The issues of • to improve intra and inter-regional communications and embrace new complementary growth and managing the A38 transport corridor remain key within the technological developments to enhance access to labour and product current draft (proposed changes) of the RSS, specific growth targets are identified for markets, whilst shifting towards a more sustainable transport policy which the Bridgwater Travel to Work Area (TTWA) of 7,500 jobs and 54 ha of employment protects the environment and manages ‘greenhouse’ gas emissions. land over the plan period. Provision should also be made for 7,700 new dwellings at • to ensure that the competitive position of the South West’s economy is Bridgwater including 1,500 on an “area of search” to the NE of the town. This equates improved and that differences in economic performance within the region to 385 per annum. The allocation for the rest of the District 2,500 - the district total are addressed. being 10,200 new homes over the plan period. • to increase investment in the region’s research base and develop the connections between universities and research establishments, businesses and the economy of the South West. Regional Economic Strategy • to focus on raising the attainment of skills at all levels, and at all ages to improve the life chances of individuals and the long term economic The Regional Economic Strategy (RES) is the key regional economic policy framework prosperity of the region. for the South West. The RES is a statutory plan that sits alongside the RSS and aims to provide a shared vision for the development of the region’s economy. The current Draft Regional Spatial Strategy RES was revised in 2005 and applies until 2015 and a further full review of the strategy is due to take place shortly. The Draft Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) was produced by the South West Regional Assembly and is currently being finalised. A revised version was published for The RES prioritises the following strategic objectives and progress measures: consultation during the summer of 2008. The RSS outlines a new approach to planning in the South West which will influence how South West residents live, work and travel SO1: Successful and Competitive Business in the region until 2026. The overall purpose of the plan is to manage the nature, - Support business productivity location, scope and pace of development from 2006 to 2026, in the interests of current - Encourage new enterprise and future residents. - Deliver skills for the economy - Compete in the global economy - Promote innovation 14 for the region. The specific mention of new nuclear is important in the context of SO2: Strong and Inclusive Communities Sedgemoor. - Improve participation in the economy - Regenerate the most disadvantaged areas SOUTH WEST CONTEXT: KEY POLICY ISSUES - Plan sustainable and successful communities In the RSS Bridgwater
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At the sub-regional level, the strategy focuses on creating conditions that help businesses to be more successful by increasing their productivity. In this regard the RES prioritises public sector investment in areas of market failure, helping to disseminate the information and knowledge that businesses and workers need to compete, particularly with respect to skills and innovation. In relation to communities the strategy prioritises tackling the causes of deprivation and exclusion whilst focusing on opportunities for new sustainable growth through urban and rural renaissance. The strategy will also ensure that more people and communities have the skills, capacity and aspiration to participate in, and benefit from, the growing economy.

Green recovery

In early 2009 the South West Regional Economic Task Group commissioned a report to develop approaches to help “green” the recovery from the recession. Four work areas (domestic energy efficiency, business resource efficiency, marine energy technologies and new nuclear) were identified as high priorities for the region that could be taken forward immediately by regional partners. In addition, four further work areas (community based renewables, environmental business sector support, sustainable procurement, and low carbon vehicles) have been identified as of potential

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• Enabling existing communities to flourish and building new and In addition the Sustainable Community Strategy has a range of local priorities for prosperous ones Sedgemoor, which have been informed by the development of this Economic o Joining up plans for predicted housing need and jobs. Masterplan, including: o Making Taunton, Yeovil and Bridgwater the ‘engine room’ for the county’s continuing economic prosperity. Working with market towns • Making Bridgwater part of the 'engine room' for economic prosperity and rural areas to spread this prosperity and increase their • Tackling the impact of climate change and barriers to regeneration. sustainability. • Restructuring the economy, attracting new businesses and jobs as the o New communities are as sustainable as possible and designed to heart of a new enterprise area. minimise the need for travel • Improving life in the local deprived neighbourhoods.

16 • Supporting economic development – particularly skills and attainment, • To realise the potential of Taunton, Yeovil and Bridgwater as economic through providing University Centres for Somerset and the Building Schools growth centres for Somerset and the South West region; for the Future project. • To revitalise the economy of Somerset’s market towns and rural • Ensuring communities can take advantage of new jobs and training and communities; and can benefit from outside investment. • To increase access to economic opportunities for all Somerset residents. • Ensuring affordable new housing and decent existing housing. Somerset Local Transport Plan (LTP2) Somerset Local Area Agreement The latest Local Transport Plan (LTP2) is the second of its kind in Somerset and sets The Somerset LAA is a three year agreement that sets out the priorities agreed out what transport-related improvements Somerset County Council (SCC) is aiming to between central Government, represented by the Government Office for the South achieve over a five-year period. LTP2 was submitted to the Government on 31 March West, and the local area (for Somerset the geographical area of the current County of 2006 and runs up until 2011. Somerset), and the Somerset Strategic Partnership. The LAA sits alongside the Somerset Vision and is delivered through six blocks; The LTP2 explains broadly how the authority will meet the needs of the community in • Children and Young People terms of better transport. This not only includes increasing the capacity of the road • Economic Development and Enterprise network but shows how jobs, education, health and other services will be made • Healthier Communities accessible by a range of transport means, and how SCC will ensure people can move • Older People safely around the County. • Safer Communities • Stronger Communities The LTP2 sets out the following investment priorities:

The LAA, and the priorities for the individual theme blocks, reflect the aspirations of the • Maintaining the road network across the County. SSP and LSPs and respond to the very particular characteristics of Somerset itself. • Reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads. The LAA is further knitted together through the identification of specific issues that cut • Increasing the number of people using public transport. across the individual blocks. In Somerset these have been identified as affordable • Investment to support economic regeneration in the housing, transport, and reduction of the misuse of alcohol. Taunton/Bridgwater/Wellington area and Yeovil. • Ensuring lorries use appropriate routes to improve life in rural communities. Somerset Economic Strategy • Promoting ‘smarter travel choices’ such as cycling, walking and car-sharing through marketing campaigns and travel plans for business and schools. The Somerset Economic Strategy (SES) was developed by the Somerset Strategic • Targeted implementation of other integrated transport schemes particularly Partnership and launched in November 2005. The Strategy builds on the SSP Vision to improve access to basic services in our Market Towns. for Somerset, and sets out the directions and priorities for the growth of Somerset’s and the South West region’s economy in the future. As the basis for Somerset’s It will be important for LTP3 to have a strong focus on Bridgwater and include a parallel strategic economic growth it is particularly important that the Sedgemoor Economic major scheme bid to secure investment which will help manage economic and Strategy is well aligned with the SES, reflecting where appropriate its priorities and population-related growth and shape regeneration. recommending action that reflects its vision. Learning and Skills Council Plan The following six strategic objectives are set out within the strategy: The role of the Somerset Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is to transform post-16 • To develop the effectiveness of Somerset’s economic voice, partnerships learning and skills development across the county by ensuring increased participation and strategic delivery capacity; and continuous quality improvement. The LSC’s 2007/08 Annual Plan outlines its • To maximise the long term investment attractiveness and dynamism of intention to support learning and skills development through the following four Somerset’s economy; priorities: • To increase the competitiveness and productivity of Somerset businesses;

17 • Raise the quality and improve the choice of learning opportunities for all young people to equip them with the skills for employment, further or higher learning, and for wider social community engagement; • Raise the skills of the nation, giving employers and individuals the skills they need to improve productivity, employability and social cohesion; • Raise the performance of a world-class system that is responsive, provides choice and is valued and recognised for excellence; and • Raise our contribution to economic development locally and regionally through partnership working.

SOMERSET CONTEXT: KEY POLICY ISSUES

The Somerset Economic Strategy aims to maximise the long term investment attractiveness and dynamism of Somerset’s economy and increase the competitiveness and productivity of its businesses.

The SES aims to realise the potential of Bridgwater as an economic growth centre alongside Taunton and Yeovil.

The SES aims to revitalise the economy of Somerset’s market towns and rural communities and to increase access to economic opportunities. The LTP2 encourages investment to support economic regeneration in the Bridgwater area.

The LSC has national targets with regard to the proportion of the workforce qualified to level 2 and achieving this objective, in partnerships with stakeholders and providers, will contribute to reducing worklessness across the District.

Sedgemoor must ensure it has adequate capacity to influence sub-regional processes to evidence and communicate local needs to inform wider policy development and priority setting

18 Local Policy Context

At a local level, this economic strategy sits alongside a number of other strategies The Local Plan developed to guide the social and economic development of Sedgemoor. These include; The Sedgemoor District Local Plan was adopted on 29th September 2004 as the 'development plan' for the area. The main objective of the plan is to deliver a focussed • The Sedgemoor Corporate Strategy; approach to locating new development, which: • Regeneration Directorate service plan; • The Local Plan; • concentrates new development in the Towns; • The Local Development Framework; and • maximises the use of brownfield land and existing buildings and • The emerging Sedgemoor Sustainable Community Strategy. minimises the use of greenfield sites; • creates opportunities to use and develop sustainable forms of Sedgemoor Corporate Strategy transport, particularly walking, cycling and public transport; • does not cause material harm to the environmental characteristics of The Sedgemoor Corporate Strategy has been developed for partners, councillors, those Towns; SDC staff and residents to clarify: • does not overload the capacity of the facilities and services of those Towns; and • SDC aims and aspirations for the period of the plan as contained within its • does not prejudice the vitality of other settlements and rural areas to vision and priorities; provide for a range of development opportunities to meet the defined • What SDC stand for by way of values and principles; needs of those who live and work there. • On what SDC should be judged, key projects and improvements. The Plan includes policies related to towns, rural centres and villages, outside The strategy outlines the following four corporate priorities: settlements as well as sequential development and mixed-use development. The Local Plan will provide a key context to the emerging Local Development Framework • Housing – to provide decent and affordable homes for all. and will be replaced by the LDF in due course. • Efficiency – To Lower costs by delivering the right services in the right way. • Regeneration – To shape and deliver investment to achieve a prosperous economy and sustainable communities by establishing a strategic Local Development Framework framework for regeneration, with clear priorities for action. • Environment – To protect and improve the local environment and quality of Under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 the Local Plan is due to be life for residents. replaced by a 'Local Development Framework' (LDF), a new planning system introduced by government to manage how development takes place in towns and the Resource for the development and implementation of this Economic Development countryside. The Framework itself is a folder of local development documents Strategy is prioritised within the strategy in relation to the following objective under the prepared by district councils (or unitary authorities or national park authorities) that regeneration priority: outline the spatial planning strategy for the area. The Economic Development Strategy sits within the emerging LDF. On completion, as well as the Economic Development Improving the economic prosperity of Sedgemoor – to establish an economic Strategy, the LDF will include: vision for the District that will set the framework to shape services to business customers, influence inward investment and work in partnership with community and • The Sedgemoor Local Development Scheme businesses. • A Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment • A Core Strategy The Economic Strategy itself therefore echoes the priorities of the District and its • Development Management Policies council and is firmly routed in its priorities. • A Statement of Community Involvement • The Sedgemoor Local Development Scheme The conclusion of the strategy is expected to influence and refine the corporate plan, • A LDF Sustainability Appraisal shaping a new theme of economic growth and regeneration. 19 The Economic Development Strategy sits alongside these documents in order to form The Sedgemoor Housing Strategy runs from 2007-2010. The Strategy establishes a seamless, well coordinated LDF that will help to deliver development within housing priorities within the Council’s wider vision for Sedgemoor as outlined in its Sedgemoor that is aligned to the needs and aspirations of its people and its economy Sustainable Community Strategy and the Corporate Plan. The Strategy has the whilst safeguarding and enhancing the beauty and capacity of its environment. following 5 key priorities:

Sedgemoor Community Strategy • To improve the quality of housing across the District • To increase the supply of affordable housing in Sedgemoor The purpose of the Community Strategy is to promote the economic, social and • To address the needs of homeless or potentially homeless people across environmental wellbeing of Sedgemoor. It is produced by the Sedgemoor in Somerset the District Partnership. It draws together the main issues for the District into the following vision: • To address the housing needs of vulnerable people • To meet the needs and aspirations of the Council’s housing tenants ‘Everyone working together to make Sedgemoor a safer, cleaner, healthier, more pleasant and vibrant district in which to live, work, learn, invest or visit.’ Sedgemoor Climate Change Strategy

The Strategy has seven themes, which reflect the important issues for our The Sedgemoor Climate Change Strategy is in the process of being drafted. Climate communities within Sedgemoor. These are: Change provides opportunities and challenges for economic development and it will be important that the District’s strategy influences the priorities taken forward within the • Transport and Access - Recognising that Sedgemoor is a mainly rural Economic Strategy. To date a climate change report has been prepared for the area, the strategy priorities an efficient transport system, accessible to all. Executive outlining the national and regional policy context, the strategic context within which climate change issues should be considered by the council and practical issues • Community Life - To encourage active local communities, with everyone relating to the development of the strategy. This report recommends that the council having the chance to play their part in making Sedgemoor a better place to sign up to the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change and commissions an audit live of the Council’s energy use and carbon footprint to help inform our evidence base.

• Economic Success - To make Sedgemoor a more prosperous and Work will also take place through the Local Development Framework attractive place to live, work, visit and invest in. Sedgemoor External Funding Strategy • Environment - To value the unique environment of Sedgemoor and to protect it for future generations. External funding is an increasingly important source of finance to help the Council meet its corporate objectives and priorities. The strategy seeks to improve the way in • Lifelong Learning - To provide high quality and accessible education for which the Council seeks external sources of funding and better align these funds to all residents of Sedgemoor. key priorities. The Strategy has one main objective; to maximise external forms of investment in Sedgemoor to support and add value to council objectives and priorities • Crime Reduction – To tackle crime, the fear of crime and anti-social to improve outcomes for local people, places and business enterprise. More behaviour. specifically the strategy has the following sub-objectives:

• Health, Housing and Wellbeing - Helping people at all stages of their lives • To realise ambitions; to enjoy the best possible health and quality of life. • To bring focus to things that matter eg. District local priorities • To better link community needs to Council ambitions and delivery plans; This process is now developing to update and refine the strategy to meet new • To better align resources to priorities; requirements to publish a Sustainable Community Strategy • To manage risk • To actively deal with local challenges and issues; • To improve services, performance and outcomes; and Sedgemoor Housing Strategy • To improve the value for money of Council expenditure.

20 SEDGEMOOR CONTEXT: KEY POLICY ISSUES

The Corporate Strategy aims to establish an economic vision for the District that will set the framework to shape services to business customers, influence inward investment and work in partnership with community and businesses.

The Sedgemoor District Local Plan aims to concentrate new development in towns and maximise the use of brownfield land and existing buildings and minimise the use of Greenfield sites.

The Sedgemoor Community Strategy aims to make Sedgemoor a more prosperous and attractive place to live, work, visit and invest in.

21 SWOT ANALYSIS economic benefit. • Proposed nuclear development with poor socio-economic assessment and lack of Sedgemoor has a number of strengths and weaknesses as well as facing opportunities integration with local place shaping resulting for, and threats to, sustainable economic prosperity. The strengths include its in poor sustainability and impact. locational assets including transport links and the quality of the environment. The weaknesses represent fundamental issues that have the potential to undermine the on-going growth of Sedgemoor’s economy, and continue and deepen intra-district CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY disparities. The opportunities represent significant potential while the threats are predominantly external and forward looking and based on Sedgemoor’s position in Key issues relation to the regional, and global economy. Sedgemoor needs to maintain and increase the level of employment in the District and STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES improve the quality of employment locally to provide all sections of the community with the opportunities which match their skills and aspirations. This will require the District Strategic investment location with excellent Poor quality urban centres • • to secure new investment to off-set the inevitable decline of some local employers; transport links Low skills levels in the labour force and low • develop the skills base to ensure existing and prospective employers can access a Strong and robust manufacturing sector aspiration and educational attainment • high quality labour pool; and assist traditional sectors and attract new sectors and • Growth in key small business sectors amongst young people niches to take advantage of the strengths and opportunities outlined earlier. including creative and environmental • Multiple deprivation and economic exclusion technologies in some communities. There are four main economic opportunities: • Outstanding rural environment • Little or poor external image • Bridgwater College • Low land values
Sedgemoor has the opportunity to react to changes in demand and sector • Diverse tourism product • Shortage of employment land growth in a number of areas, and stakeholders need to provide sufficient • Attractive as a place to live, with parts of the • Constraints on development including flood districts accessible to major employment risk, environmental designations, highways resources to help local people and businesses take advantage of new markets issues opportunities. These include new investment at Hinkley, growth in domestic • Council is pro businesses leadership and has tourism; the expansion of creative and digital industries, and a broad trend a strong track record of delivery towards home working. These opportunities are the most likely to increase average earning and increase the GVA of the wider economy. OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
Sedgemoor will continue to attract new investment as a result of its location. There is a major issue centred on the need to embed new investment in the • Increasing demand for domestic short break • Global trends in manufacturing investment local economy and to ensure it has a sustained and added value. The leisure visits. and employment tendency for major employers to use company procurement policies may • National infrastructure proposals and • Knowledge based inward investment projects. focusing on larger conurbations militate against smaller and local suppliers means that there is considerable potential to increase the secondary benefits of major employers. • Building Schools for the Future investment • Increasing demand for higher skilled labour • Increasing demand for further and higher force education • Infrastructure gaps and costs.
Sedgemoor offers a variety of very attractive employment locations, with a • Increasing demand for home and distance • Restriction on development in flood risk mixture of town and rural locations suitable for every type of business. The working areas locations are constrained by a range of issues including a poor/limited urban • National growth in key sectors such as • Climate change environment (Bridgwater), long term under-investment (Burnham-on-Sea), creative and digital industries and • Increasing aspirations in terms of quality of limited business space, in some parts of the rural areas. There is a need to environmental technologies life of skilled in-migrants. address these issues to maximise the attractiveness of Sedgemoor as a • The identification of new employment sites. • Reduced demand and increasing place for high quality investment. • The University of Somerset project unemployment due to international economic recession.
There is a direct link between skills, the employability of the individual and the • Changes to coast line by Bristol Port with no competitiveness of the company base. Sedgemoor has a mixed although 22 improving skills profile, and up-skilling the workforce and reducing the numbers with below level qualifications is a major priority. This area will be taken forward by the LSC and Jobcentre Plus.

These issues can be categorised into three broad areas - place, business and people There are three major issues which deal with the physical infrastructure and - and there are strong linkages between each: environment of the District, and which have a direct impact on the Economic Strategy. These reflect the quality of the environment and long term factors such as the effects
People of global warning. These are: The need to strengthen the urban and rural centres as places to invest in, increasing the employment base and broadening the service offer for visitors
Maintaining an adequate supply of land to deal with re-investment and inward and residents. This requires a higher skilled workforce and sub sectors and investment, taking account of constraints on highways infrastructure and the niches where entrepreneurs and business can flourish. need for sustainable economic development.
Business
Providing solutions to the issue of flood risk which affect many parts of the Where there is a need to secure and embed new investment, while district. supporting traditional sectors and developing new niches; this requires a skilled workforce, and attractive towns and settlements to support companies
Maintaining the quality outstanding natural environment in both coastal and recruiting high skilled workers. rural areas, which underpin key economic sectors and contribute to the quality of life of many communities.
People Where increasingly you earn what you learn, and people’s motivation to learn and up-skills needs to be linked to the raised ambitions of living in a high In relation to people, there are the following major challenges: quality environment, and the availability of higher paid employment.

Increasing the educational attainment levels of all young people, reducing the Sedgemoor has an opportunity through a unique combination of major and micro numbers of those not in education, employment and training, and increasing opportunities to transform its economy. The vision, objectives and strategic actions that the numbers going on to higher education. capture the route to success in this are outlined in the sections that follow.
Addressing the issues of worklessness and low incomes in the most disadvantaged communities in the District, notably those in and around Bridgwater and Burnham on Sea and Highbridge.

Providing support to those affected low incomes and disadvantage in rural areas, much of which is not captured by official statistics.

23 Sedgemoor’s Strategic Priorities and Objectives

Sedgemoor is a distinctive district in a rural County. Its future depends upon capitalising on its assets, and making the right decision about how it maintains its competitive position in the light of increased competition regionally, nationally and internationally.

The economic vision for Sedgemoor needs to look to the future, while building upon the District’s economic and rural heritage for enterprise and independence. These traditional values need to be linked to the development of a distinctive, modern, service based rural economy, which will act as an exemplar for other rural economies. It will also be important to ensure that the forward looking nature of the strategy reflects the move to a low carbon economy and the need to “future proof” Sedgemoor’s economy in the light of climate change. The realisation of the Economic Vision and the successful delivery of the five strategic The Economic Vision for the District is: objectives require an over-arching theme with regard to Leadership and three broad areas of interventions – Place, People and Business. Leadership is particularly Sedgemoor – heart of the South West’s enterprise coast: a smart important for a relatively small District, which can often be overlooked by regional and economy, where dynamic places, entrepreneurial businesses and national agencies. independent people, prosper

There are five strategic objectives that will provide the framework for a range of short, In addition there are three principle economic drivers that reflect the emphasis of the medium and long term actions. Vision on smart and forward looking. These are:

• To provide economic leadership for the businesses and communities of
Innovation and enterprise - where people put innovation, creativity and Sedgemoor in Somerset, ensuring Sedgemoor effectively influences County, enterprise at the heart of Sedgemoor’s businesses and organisations. regional and national policies and investment programmes.
Skills and learning – where Sedgemoor’s workforce will have the skills and • To maximise investment attractiveness and dynamism of the economy, adaptability to underpin a modern and inclusive economy. through business infrastructure, enterprise and skills, increasing Sedgemoor’s contribution to the Somerset and South West economy.
Environment – where Sedgemoor’s unique environmental and cultural assets are protected and enhanced so that they will continue to attract • To realise the potential of Bridgwater as a regionally significant economic investment and develop economic advantage, and where regional objectives growth centre, benefiting businesses and communities in the wider District. to invest in the drivers of a low carbon economy are put into practice.

• To support the economic renewal of Sedgemoor’s coastal, and rural towns and dispersed communities.

• To ensure that all of Sedgemoor’s communities benefit from increased economic prosperity.

To achieve this ambitious vision will require interventions across four broad themes, as follows:

24 easy access by means other than the car, thereby minimising impact on the transport Smart Growth: The Spatial Distribution of New Investment network.

To achieve Sedgemoor’s objective of smart growth, investment should be planned spatially and sectorally to achieve the greatest benefits. Such a strategic approach to delivering sustainable economic development will be essential to deliver local benefits and impacts for people and business.

The district is known to face challenges for highways capacity and the requirement for investment in utilities and flood infrastructure to accommodate growth. Sedgemoor District Council has already engaged key stakeholders in this respect and consultation will continue, including with the Highways Agency, Environment Agency and utilities providers, to ensure that objectives can be realised.

Strategic economic development decisions should consider the potential clustering of uses, for example to establish a logistics cluster of regional significance, an energy cluster and establish recognised office locations. This will allow critical mass to be built and for Sedgemoor to establish more effective branding around its sectoral strengths. Developments should consider transport requirements with heavy flows to be focused around key nodes of the transport network wherever possible but also to encourage use of public transport, walking and cycling by employees where business uses allow.

Bridgwater will form the focus for new employment generation given its location on the strategic transport network, presence of the town centre and existing critical mass of businesses, employment and population as well as future growth forecasts. Smaller opportunities for new and expanding businesses will also be explored district wide, ensuring that the scale and nature of development is appropriate for the setting and complies with the centre hierarchy established through the Regional Spatial Strategy. Potential Distribution Development Locations have been identified around Potential Office Developments: The primary focus for office developments will be junctions 23 and 24 of the M5. A cluster of sites are potentially available for Bridgwater Town Centre, the Bristol Road corridor and Burnham Town Centre. Office development in these areas providing an opportunity for Sedgemoor to develop as a uses are already present in these locations and there is an opportunity to build critical logistics location of regional significance. All sites are well served by the motorway mass. In Burnham Town Centre there is potential for office uses to be clustered to network although traffic management and infrastructure investment may be necessary provide a dedicated business area whilst returning ‘high street’ units to retail use. In to accommodate the scale of development and operation that could be secured in the Bridgwater Town Centre there are also opportunities to invest in the current offer and area. These locations reduce the unnecessary routing of HGVs through residential and introduce new stock as part of mixed use developments. Provision of a range of small town centre locations, limiting congestion and the ease of business use. Given the and accessible office space would be particularly effective in creating appropriate local potential visual impact of development on these sites, to potentially include visibility opportunities for young entrepreneurs and local growing businesses and start ups. from the motorway network, design work will be required to ensure that a positive image of Sedgemoor is portrayed. Along Bristol Road, Express Park has introduced a business park location that caters for office as well as industrial needs. Expansion of this facility and development of other sites within the corridor provide opportunities for Bridgwater to offer an office park environment that helps to change external perceptions and attract new occupiers into the district. The need to provide space for growing small businesses and start ups should also be a key consideration, adding to similar provision in the town centre. All locations are well served by the public transport network and cycle routes to provide 25 Potential Manufacturing Development Locations will focus on existing locations of Potential Energy Centre Development Locations: A key opportunity site for low manufacturing use, to allow for business attraction and expansion of existing facilities. carbon energy centre development has been identified at the former ROF facility in Two core areas for new development have been identified around Isleport and the Puriton, which could complement development at Hinkley. Development of the energy Bristol Road corridor where significant land supplies are available for potential sector will allow the district to build on the experience and benefits to be secured at development. Such development will need to respond to a range of business Hinkley, allowing local people and businesses to share the benefits. As a brownfield requirements and it is important to ensure that development that meets the needs of site that is well shielded from surrounding uses and served by existing utilities, this site small growing businesses and local start ups is available to stimulate local enterprise provides an opportunity to develop an energy centre of regional significance. As well and capture the talent of local entrepreneurs. as presenting potential to accommodate energy generating uses, the site could be promoted to attract energy related R&D uses to create a dedicated facility for the Both Isleport and the Bristol Road corridor are close to the motorway network but are sector. Given the requirements for energy generation and the potential for perceptions away from town centre locations to reduce the potential for conflicting traffic uses. New as a bad neighbour use, the district has limited alternative sites. development will add variety to existing manufacturing locations, including Colley Lane, where investment will open up new sites, allowing ‘rattle space’ to be created The County Council will also be considering options for waste management which may within the supply of stock. involve the use of different types of technology including waste to energy.

26 27 THEME 1 – LEADERSHIP Strategic Actions:

Core objective: PRIORITY COMMITMENT

To provide economic leadership for the businesses and communities of All other strategic actions in this strategy are dependent on the Council Sedgemoor in Somerset, ensuring Sedgemoor effectively influences County, providing inspirational economic leadership. A core commitment is therefore: regional and national policies and investment programmes. Sedgemoor will be recognised as the most enterprise driven and business The Issue customer focussed Council in the South West, with planning polices which support enterprise and investment, and a Senior Member and Officer Team with the capacity and experience to secure and support new investment of all types. The key to Sedgemoor’s future economic success and ensuring the effective implementation of the strategy is the provision of dynamic and influential leadership. Leadership is not a matter for the Council alone, it is also vital that businesses play their part in raising the profile of the District and placing it centre stage. L1 – Economic Development Impact Assessment: The Council will develop an impact assessment model to regularly review all aspects of current service and new The key to effective leadership is to provide strong and effective representation policy development to help maximise the benefits for economic development and working in partnership with County and regional partners, to find common approaches reduce any adverse effects on investors, businesses and local residents. This will to solving shared problems, recognising that complementary investment in include its own internal assessment as well as the wider evaluation with the neighbouring areas can add value to all. County Council

Leadership is also about driving appropriate fora and delivering the capacity required L2 – Establish a Business Ambassador / champion in each service; to ensure that to ensure efficient and integrated delivery. Effective leadership will be instrumental in the Council’s enterprise driven ambition is integrated through all aspects of service developing the skills, capacity and commitment within partners to address delivery a champion will be identified in each service who will act to “enterprise proof” Sedgemoor’s and the County’s economic objectives. all Council activities.

Demonstrating economic leadership also requires the Council to put business and L3 – Continually set a positive example as an exemplar employer: In particular in enterprise at the heart of its decision making. This does not mean, however, that relation to skills by signing the Skills Pledge at the earliest opportunity. business will always get its own way, and the Council will need to take strong decisions as to the wider community benefits of business investment. L4 –Play an active role in economic and social partnerships and provide a leadership role in those partnerships where the Council is the senior A further objective of leadership is to establish the District as an exemplar organisation stakeholder: for instance through chairing the Employment and Skills Task Force, to deliver new investment, test pilot projects and develop new solutions to key playing a lead role in the Somerset Nuclear Energy Group, Into Somerset, the challenges. This involves the Council investing Elected Member and officer time and Bridgwater Education Trust and the Somerset Economic Leaders Group resources in lobbying and advocacy work, but with the clear intention of securing new investment for Sedgemoor. Part of this work involves promoting new and best practice L5 Secure new public sector investment in Sedgemoor to allow the District to developed by the Council. contribute to regional and national economic objectives: The Council will ensure, through the development and delivery of this strategy, that the case for public sector Overall, the Council should be an exemplar Authority in Somerset and the South West catalytic investment is made and will engage with all relevant stakeholders to achieve for enabling enterprise growth. In order to achieve this, and indeed improvements on this, securing new public and private investment to meet local needs. A key strand of the ground, a step change will be required in terms of development management. this will be the development and adoption by the Council of an External Funding Strategy at the earliest opportunity.

L6 Establish an ongoing review and scrutiny process for the delivery of the strategy; The Council will have a key role in ensuring delivery of the strategy, and will commit to establishing an annual review of progress that will report to an annual

28 “standing conference” to provide external scrutiny and challenge. This could include annual awards to promote and celebrate good practice.

L7 Ensure appropriate community benefit of major infrastructure development and inward investment is realised.

The Council has a key role to play in working in partnership with private and public sector bodies to ensure that all future investment delivers appropriate community benefit for the District. Of particular importance in this respect is any future energy related development such as Hinkley and the Severn Barrage. The Council will invest adequate staff resource to this issue.

29 THEME 2 - PLACE Priorities

There are six priorities with regard to Place and these involve both place-making in the urban sense and the development of place in a rural and environmental context. These priorities take account of the rural nature of the District, and its manufacturing and tourism strengths which have led to the development of small, although significant, urban centres. The priorities are:

Revitalising Bridgwater: Building on the existing strengths of the town, both in terms of its strategic location, and its strengths in key business sectors.

Burnham on Sea/Highbridge/ Coastal strip: Providing catalytic impetus to regeneration.

Cheddar and the Hills / Levels and the Moors: Using the unique environmental assets of the District to drive the development of a truly sustainable activity tourism product.

Living, Working Rural Areas: the need to maintain employment in rural areas is critical to avoiding villages and hamlets becoming the sole preserve of affluent communities. Promoting substantial employment space, including the capacity to work at and from home, is crucial to managing local employment levels.

Our Environment: Placing the environment and environmental performance at the heart of all that Sedgemoor is about.

Image and Identity: Ensuring that the perception (both internal and external) of place is a positive one that attracts and retains investment and skilled people and helps to create an enterprising and dynamic District.

The purpose of place is to create the conditions across the District for enterprise and investment to flourish. It is linked to the living environment, supporting an evening economy, as well as enhancing the experience for visitors and tourists. More importantly, it reinforces the District as a preferred place to live and work, with opportunities for the self employed and multi-national investors.

The Council should invest in ‘liveability’ providing maintenance services, investing in cultural and leisure facilities to support economic regeneration. Without these places, become disconnected from people and unattractive to investors. Quality of life factors are very important in attracting and retaining skilled labour and securing inward investors.

30 2.1 Revitalising Bridgwater Based upon the spending potential of its catchment population, Bridgwater’s town The Issue centre should provide an attractive location for shopping and leisure activities. There are opportunities to expand the retail offer and to celebrate the town centre’s assets Bridgwater’s position on major transport routes and with significant existing business including the River Parrett and its historic environment and areas of high quality investment makes it the ideal location for future development. How Bridgwater takes architecture within the town. However it is recognised that a concerted effort by both advantage of its location to deliver smart growth is one of the District’s major public and private sector partners will be required to deliver a step change in the challenges, along with how it maximises the wider benefits of development for local quality of the Bridgwater's shopping potential. The Northgate development will be key businesses and residents. The available development sites around and within the in this as an anchor contract. town need to be carefully considered in terms of maximising the community and sustainable economic benefits, and the mix of development / occupiers that will best deliver Sedgemoor’s economic ambition. The potential to use the waterside as a driver of regeneration, linked to the implementation of a tidal sluice north of the town centre, has been investigated in detail The image of the town centre, and its ‘high street’ retail offer, is often cited as a key previously. This found that the sluice could be critical in accelerating high quality barrier to long term economic regeneration. The balance between the convenience development and regeneration activity in Bridgwater and could create a range of new retail offer (especially its edge of centre food supermarkets) and its less developed tourism and leisure activities as well as increasing commercial and residential property ‘high street’ shopping is crucial to the vibrancy of the town. There is evidence that market values. However, there would be potential environmental impacts on the Levels Bridgwater is losing ground to Taunton in relation to its retail / town centre offer and that would need to be considered and may well prove a barrier to its implementation. therefore the rent levels and retailer profile it is able to secure. Exciting initiatives such as the plans to redevelop Bridgwater's Town Hall Island site While Bridgwater’s town centre currently under-performs in its retail and leisure offer, would provide a new cultural centre to bring together the best of the town's old and as the population of the district continues to grow, investment in the town will be crucial new arts organisations, and provide a focus for a wide range of cultural activity with to reduce further leakage of expenditure and help to attract expenditure back into the associated workspace, residential and retail / food development. Opportunities may town centre. also be explored to re-invigorate Eastover and consider the future use of Northgate, as will be explored through the Bridgwater Strategic Framework. Whilst the town provides a comprehensive convenience retail offer, its comparison offer lags behind other centres. The gap in retail performance between Bridgwater and The Council has now commissioned a consortium led by Gillespies to undertake the competitor centres such as Taunton continues to grow with investment required to Bridgwater Strategic Framework. The Gillespies proposal outlines plans to create a narrow the gap. Action is required to attract investors, occupiers and shoppers back flexible and deliverable masterplan for the town that prioritises establishing a unique into the centre. vision for Bridgwater, providing a clear and cohesive framework for its development, integrating the town’s development with the emerging LDF and wider planning system Key challenges for the town are to enhance the quality and attractiveness of the town and engaging and inspiring the community and key stakeholders to ensure that centre, to support investment and growth of existing retailers and to identify everyone shares in a ‘vision for change’. It will be vital that this emerging Framework development opportunity sites which are of a scale and profile to attract new has at its core the priorities of this strategy and maximises the potential for the comparison retail operators to the town. Framework itself to be a vehicle for economic development and change.

Bridgwater’s leisure and cultural offer, is also important in terms of attracting and Bridgwater’s locational strengths make it the ideal focus for the establishment of a new maintaining levels of investment. Any long term planning for the town’s transformation enterprise hub or innovation centre, attracting small knowledge intensive businesses in will need to ensure that this is taken into account. high value sectors. Such a development, linked to a network of innovation centres across the region, and with local hubs in rural communities would serve as a symbol of Assets and opportunity an enterprising and enterprise friendly District, and would provide significant new investment and impetus for the regeneration of the town centre itself including a Bridgwater’s transport connections make it an extremely competitive business location. number of currently unoccupied office suites. The benefits of the construction of the M5 in the 1970s continue to be reaped with development still focused around it including high profile businesses such as Wiseman’s and developments such as Express Park 31 • commission and manage a town centre masterplan to define a comprehensive vision and investment framework, to consider both sides of the river, Bridgwater Town Centre: Proposed Boundary Amendments opportunity sites and destinations throughout the town; • Work to develop an integrated North Bridgwater Master plan bringing together plans for the Innovia site and North East Bridgwater

BR2 Develop a Town Centre Business Plan

The Council will work to secure public support for town centre improvement and development activities.

BR3 Establish the Bridgwater Hub

The Council will:

• Develop the business case and secure the funding for a Knowledge and Enterprise Centre, to be known as the Hub, to provide virtual office and hot desking facilities, small office and incubation space, conference and meeting rooms for business.

• Use the Hub facilities to promote Bridgwater as a venue for public and private meetings.

BR4 Promote Bridgwater as a location for high value added and service based micro and small businesses

Strategic Actions: The Council will develop a promotional offer, drawing on the existing (and planned) assets of the town, and work with Into Somerset partners to disseminate this to target KEY COMMITMENT audiences as identified through Into Somerset research.

One of the key commitments for the transformation of the Sedgemoor economy is to establish Bridgwater as one of the South West’s leading exponents of a BR5 Support Bridgwater College to expand its further and higher education 21st Century enterprise and business hub, offering outstanding services and offer and prioritise the integration of new facilities with the Town Centre facilities, on a par with large urban centres, for knowledge based industries, set in a vibrant leisure and retail centre. Such a commitment would require a range The Council will work with the college to ensure that college expansion, in particular of interlinked interventions as follows: any new residential development for students, is integrated with the needs of the town, and that there is an agreed strategy for this.

BR6 Promote Bridgwater as a location for sports, cultural and festival BR1 Prepare a Bridgwater Strategic Framework for Place Transformation and activities and other events such as farmers markets which will bring new visitors Regeneration to the town The Council will:

32 The Council will develop an events strategy that targets key national and regional cultural and sports events (such as the Tour of Britain) and ensures that any such events are supported by and support local business.

33 2.2 Burnham on Sea, Highbridge and the Coastal Strip uses which do not rely on passing trade and which could be located elsewhere in the town, if suitable accommodation were available. This would allow more active The Issue frontages to be introduced and for greater choice to be available to retailers. Active marketing of the town should also occur, celebrating the public realm improvements as Burnham on Sea and Highbridge, along with Brean and Berrow to the north, have a they are implemented and advertising the nature of units available and scale of the unique history, character and identity which reflects how the settlements have evolved market opportunity. Further activity could target specific occupiers, facilitating an uplift from agricultural communities for the farmers who drained the land to the east; later as in the nature of retailers based within the town to help change perceptions and reduce a spa town (in the case of Burnham) and finally as seaside resorts. leakage.

Burnham and Highbridge’s inclusion in the Market and Coastal Towns Initiative led to The bid to the Sea Change funding programme did not succeed to the benefit of the establishment of a framework for physical regeneration. A master plan has been Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge. However, its rationale in that investment in design developed showing how all the streets and spaces within Burnham can be joined and culture can trigger the regeneration that England’s much-loved seaside resorts together to create an attractive environment for residents and visitors. Further work need may be pursued. Other opportunities will be identified to fund exciting and has been undertaken focusing specifically on the town’s high street area. innovative projects which build on the strong identity seaside towns and give them the best opportunity to recapture their original flair. The challenges for Burnham and Highbridge are similar to those of Bridgwater but with the focus as much on the tourist offer as the retail offer, although maintaining the To complement the physical improvements that are underway within the town a position as a service centre for surrounding rural communities will be important. masterplan led regeneration and development programme is proposed for the holiday destinations of Brean and Berrow to the north of Burnham. The private sector will play Assets and opportunity a key role in driving forward regeneration activity here, with a strong supporting and enabling role being played by the public sector. Consideration should be given to the Burnham was accepted as the pilot for the Civic Pride programme in Somerset and a establishment of a Business Improvement District (BID) which may be an appropriate four stage programme of improvements have been developed by the Civic Pride mechanism to deliver regeneration. BIDs are precisely defined geographical areas Steering Group, comprising all three levels of local government, the Regeneration within which the businesses have voted to invest collectively in local improvements to Partnership and the Chamber of Trade. Funding is being sought to implement Stage 1 enhance their trading environment. - the High Street . BIDs do not affect the level or quality of service provided by the local authority to the A further project looking at options for developing the cultural quarter, including a area. A BID is initiated, financed and led by the commercial sector, providing additional prototype sustainable housing development and the combination of cultural and or improved services as identified and requested by local businesses, to the baseline community activities by transforming and expanding the Princess Theatre are currently services provided by the local authority in that area. at the outline feasibility stage. If this can be achieved, it will bring much needed activity to the North of the Town Centre. Potential also exists within Highbridge to develop available and emerging sites for employment use. The latest district Employment Land Review prepared by EKOS As part of the work on developing the Strategic Community Plan for Burnham-on-Sea prioritises development on available land in Highbridge (to be office and industrial and Highbridge (as part of the Market and Coastal Towns Initiative), a comprehensive units) with development within the town being of an appropriate scale to meet local masterplan for Burnham was produced. The River Brue link has been implemented employment demands, satisfying the RSS requirement for greater self-containment. and the Marine Cove Gardens are currently the subject of a Heritage Lottery Bid. The There is particular employment land potential here in relation to the proposed South West Regional Development Agency funded an economic impact assessment of expansion of the Isleport Industrial Estate. the remaining proposals that confirmed that the priority for investment was the town centre, which was identified as a major cause for concern, with the marginal nature of the shopping environment under increasing threat from the retirement of existing shop owners and competition from other towns and out of town offers.

To help achieve the critical mass required in the town centre there is potential to free up existing units for retail use rather than considering expansion of the centre. At present a number of units within the core of the retail centre are occupied by office 34 Actions

KEY COMMITMENT

One of the key strategic commitments for Sedgemoor is to establish Burnham on Sea as an acknowledged role model for the successful regeneration of small coastal towns, with a regeneration led by the private sector following catalytic public sector investment. This would require the following strategic actions:

BS 1 Support other external funding to implement public realm improvements in Burnham on Sea

The Council will work with local partners to develop a business plan and bids to appropriate funding Programmes, and identify potential sources of match funding.

BS 2 Promote retail uses in the high street, reducing non-retail uses where possible, potentially through provision of alternative new build office.

BS3 Investigate potential for development of the wind surfing / kite surfing market

The activity based leisure and tourism market is one that is set to grow considerably. While the Sedgemoor coast is unsuitable for surfing it could develop a niche offer around wind surfing and kite surfing, a potential market that would extend the season.

The Council will undertake a study of the economic impact of the current and potential wind surfing / kite surfing market to Burnham and the coastal strip, and develop an integrated strategy covering beach management, marketing, accommodation and retail provision if appropriate.

BS 4 Support the preparation of a private sector led masterplan for Brean and Berrow and investigate the establishment of a Business Investment District delivery vehicle to bring forward regeneration and growth proposals for the area.

35 2.3 Living, Working, Thriving Rural Areas One opportunity to help rural businesses deliver far more for the local economy, The issue rejuvenate rural communities is through the promotion and enabling of home-based work which is a highly significant (and growing) factor in rural economies, with The majority of Sedgemoor’s population lives outside the main settlements of approximately one in five people in rural communities working from home. It offers the Bridgwater and Burnham / Highbridge with over half the population of 111,000 living in potential for highly sustainable business models. Home-based work, which can range smaller settlements and rural areas where the population and economic activity is very from childcare to consultancy, hairdressing to architecture to web design, is often dispersed. Much of Somerset’s rural economy is characterised by low wages and unidentified, undervalued, and under-supported by the planning system and by insecure employment and as commonly seen elsewhere Sedgemoor’s rural areas business support providers. contain small pockets of deprivation masked by more affluent areas. This makes identifying issues more difficult. Low productivity, concentration of economic activity in A growing variety of business studies indicate that many firms started at home prefer declining sectors and a limited range of employers are key issues. to stay in the same area when they expand, and so ensuring a good supply of sites and premises is one of the key strands of any response to the business barriers in Wider changes are affecting the rural economy and the long term decline in agriculture Sedgemoor’s rural communities. has significant implications for Somerset’s land-based economy. Despite the recent minor upturn in the sector, farm businesses increasingly need to develop multiple Traditional rural workspaces and agricultural buildings – especially those built in brick income streams to survive and diversification of the rural economy is needed to offset and stone – are often convertible and provide a character and setting that is very the changes in agriculture. A flexible and responsive planning system is key to appealing to business users, assuming the required technology and facilities can be enabling diversification to take place. adequately installed. However, this requires a positive approach to building conversion and an acceptance that additions and extensions to the existing building may be Barriers faced by rural businesses generally include a lack of appropriate premises, required to achieve a viable scheme – and can be done in keeping with the style and extremely limited scope for expanding or modernising existing premises, lack of character of the existing building. Creative Industries are most suitable for this type of proximity to market, lack of skilled employees, difficulty in accessing appropriate development as proven by the establishment of “art farms”. business support advice and guidance, and sometimes inflexibility within the planning system towards growth (some planning policy is designed to restrict business Rural economic development can help revitalise the wider local economy – providing development in the ‘countryside’). spending power and a daytime presence to support and act as a catalyst for other local businesses, shops and services such as Post Offices, benefiting the whole community Growth in the proportion of knowledge intensive business services between 1998 and 2005 – largely reliant on ICT infrastructure – has increased by 46 per cent in rural The District's emerging Local Development Framework should establish clear policies areas compared to 21 per cent in urban areas. Research by Ofcom shows that 59 per which support enterprise in rural areas of the district, whilst putting in place clear cent of rural households have broadband compared to 57 per cent in urban areas. protection to the area's character and environment. In particular, policies should seek That said, recent research also suggests connection speeds are slower in rural areas to ensure that businesses are located within or adjacent of existing settlements, where because existing broadband technology is less efficient in sparsely populated areas. possible make use of vacant or underused buildings, will not lead to unsustainable travel patterns and do not detract from the character and amenity of the local area. The long term challenge facing Sedgemoor is to create a strong rural economy offering those living in rural areas better opportunities for work in their local community. Tourism will remain a significant component of the rural economy in the future . with potential to increase visitor numbers away from the main coastal centres, and to Assets and opportunities - Sedgemoor’s rural settlements – hubs for enterprise extend the season. It is covered in more detail in the next section. and growth

Recent research has found that there tends to be more of an enterprising culture in rural areas and if this was exploited effectively it would add considerably to GDP (the unfulfilled potential growth in output from rural businesses being estimated as upwards of £236 billion pa nationally). It is therefore important to understand the barriers to increased productivity and business growth in Sedgemoor’s rural areas.

36 Strategic Actions R3 Develop a network of village / community based enterprise hubs with associated enterprise support provision that benefits rural businesses KEY COMMITMENT Such an initiative would put into practice much that was outlined in the recent Taylor One of Sedgemoor’s key commitments is that its rural areas will play a crucial Review and Stuart Burgess’s advice to the Prime Minister on rural enterprise. It would role in establishing Sedgemoor as a leading centre for creative, digital and require a combined joined up approach to rural enterprise stimulation that addresses media industries, with ICT infrastructure linking smaller business to regional, the barriers to start up and growth in rural communities, and with associated enabling national and international networks planning policies (outlined above).

This will require an enabling planning policy that encourages a large number of The Council will: rural home based business (through a progressive policy on homing working and property adaptations in rural areas as well as the establishment of • Secure funding to undertake a feasibility study / business plan development enterprise hubs). including the potential locations for rural enterprise hubs, in particular focusing on the potential for Cheddar to act as an enterprise hub in the north east of the District. R1 Ensure an enabling planning framework that encourages small scale conversions / redundant buildings to foster enterprise • Work with Business Link to ensure that mainstream business support provision is fit for purpose in Sedgemoor’s rural areas, and use appropriate media to Rural businesses are usually small (often less than five people), and small businesses raise awareness of business support opportunities. do not in the main build their own workspace. Therefore, the provision of employment land alone may not meet their needs. Provision of suitable employment space is • Work effectively with partners to ensure that Rural Development Programme needed as well. In a rural context a more flexible approach to the re-use and for England (RDPE) investment is levered in to the District and that Local conversion of existing buildings is essential. The re-use of farm buildings can present a Action for Rural Communities (LARC) funding is strategically aligned with significant opportunity to provide new employment space, ensure the viability of broader economic priorities. existing rural business and support farm diversification.

The Council will work to ensure that the LDF has enabling rural policies that take a flexible approach to small scale enterprise development in rural areas, with the development of a range of criteria for determining applications.

R2 Work with partners to ensure Broadband enablement and bandwidth meets the needs of modern knowledge intensive businesses in rural areas

While Somerset is justifiably proud of its record in relation to the provision of Broadband driven by Connecting Somerset, there is a need to ensure that bandwidth requirements are met that will enable the growth of knowledge driven small businesses in rural areas.

The Council will work with private and public sector partners to encourage investment in fibre and wireless roll out, encouraging and measuring local demand, and adopting a supportive and positive approach to planning consents and street works fro network build.

37 2.4 Cheddar & The Hills / Levels and Moors – A Model for Sustainable Leisure Information, Diagnostic and Brokerage (IDB) model reflecting the diversity of business and opportunity offered by tourism, landscape and food and drink and other specific The issue sectors.

While people in rural areas are no less enterprising than those in more urban areas, it Sedgemoor has a unique offer in this regard, and one that complements the rest of the is lack of opportunity that continues to constrain business growth, and therefore the region. Its plethora of waterways across the Levels provide opportunities for quiet creation of jobs. The environment has come to be widely recognised as a key driver of water based tourism and recreation, while the nearby hills and Cheddar Gorge itself economic growth, but this recognition has not always resulted in tangible results in offers potential to develop a product around caving, climbing, mountain biking and terms of business investment and growth. This is mainly down to a lack of a co- walking. Such activity would need to be developed in partnership with neighbouring ordinated approach and vision for the role the environment can play in stimulating rural Districts to ensure a complete offer with cycle trails linking key transport hubs, and a regeneration. primary focal point. The creation of a “sustainable activity” holiday focal point within Sedgemoor would create significant additional tourism and leisure activity that would Assets and opportunities then benefit local businesses.

The rural areas of Sedgemoor have a number of unique assets which provide significant opportunities for stimulating investment and business growth, thereby Strategic Actions increasing wages and addressing affordability issues. KEY COMMITMENT Central to these assets is the varied environmental resource which is of high quality, but which is also easily accessible, given Sedgemoor’s excellent transport To build on the unique assets of Cheddar and the Hills and the Levels and connections. While access to services is an important issue for all rural communities Moors: as one of the country’s leading examples of sustainable activity based the extent of this issue in Sedgemoor is less severe than in many other rural areas. tourism grounded on the natural and cultural environment.

Given these assets Leisure and Tourism will continue to play a key role in the economic regeneration of Sedgemoor’s rural areas. Indeed, Sedgemoor’s unique environmental assets and landscape character make it an ideal location to stimulate ST1 To provide leadership in the development of a dedicated partnership business growth based on an easily accessible quality and activity based leisure approach to developing a new tourism product, involving tourism operators, product. Linking the development of a network of multi-use trails (including targeting food and drink businesses and other relevant sectors. horse based tourism) in part following quiet lanes and old railway lines with local The potential tourism offer that could be developed is geographically far wider than accommodation providers, retail and food outlets would act to stimulate local business. Sedgemoor alone. However, a significant proportion of the Levels and Moors area is This approach, while not new, has been responsible for significant economic benefits within the District. Working across boundaries and sectors requires a partnership elsewhere, with one of the best examples being The Camel Trail in Cornwall . approach that brings together all the existing activities (whether this be related to cycle Several National Cycle Routes already pass through Sedgemoor with further paths, local food, or tourism providers) under one umbrella and to agree a shared and investment planned and these could act as the basis for further development, linking powerful vision for the development of a truly unique product. the cultural and environmentally rich levels and moors with Bridgwater and the coast. The Council will therefore work in partnership with relevant organisations to secure Somerset Food Links has been a successful umbrella initiative aimed at stimulating funding for a partnership officer / project manager to take this forward. This may come high value food products and connecting local businesses with local markets. One of partly through LARC investment and the potential success of a bid for World Heritage the projects which has been supported through this initiative is Level’s Best which Site status on the Levels. provides an excellent foundation for further work to develop the local food and drink supply chain. ST2 To work with partners to undertake a feasibility study of a new There are real opportunities to utilise funding streams such as the RDPE through the relevant Local Action Groups to provide bespoke rurally focused business support, sustainable outdoor activity based centre, linked to the natural environment and adding value to the core Business Link offer and ensuring synergy with the the hub for a network of water based, and multi use trails. 38 Central to the concept of the sustainable activity-based product is the creation of a new focal point or hub as an orientation point to enable visitors to access the wealth of activity based opportunities. Such a hub could provide specific activities itself and provide access to trails / water based leisure opportunities etc.

The Council will work with partners to secure funding for a feasibility study, including identification of the most appropriate location, and development of a subsequent business case for investment.

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39 2.5 Image and Identity the “wealth creating powerhouse” with its still robust manufacturing sector, and its favourable position for logistics The issue Into Somerset research flagged up the fact that Somerset is recognised for its quality The most successful locations for business and investment across the country have a of life but that other pro-business aspects such as the level of Broadband coverage for clear identity and offer that makes them immediately recognisable. Sedgemoor has instance, are little recognised. This issue of “lifestyle over substance” is one that it is suffered from a lack of identity outside of the region, and where Sedgemoor is essential to change, while maintaining the sense that Somerset (and Sedgemoor recognised, it is often with negative connotations. The chimney and the “smell” may within it) offer something different – where a high quality local environment is easily have gone, but for many people Bridgwater and the surrounding area is the “flat bit” accessible from major transport corridors (travel time to London and Birmingham is they drive through to get to the “South West proper”. less than 2 hours from Taunton), and where excellent Broadband coverage means that businesses can reach their national and international markets effectively. Sedgemoor is also affected by the profile of the County, which lags behind that of both Devon and Cornwall, partly a reflection of the west of the region’s historic role as a The vital role of the cultural and creative industries in attracting citizens, businesses, tourism destination. workers and visitors is increasingly recognised as key to boosting the economy of an area. From the early 1980s onwards, arts and cultural activity became an increasing Assets and opportunities feature of urban regeneration programmes in Britain, as cities, in particular, sought solutions to economic restructuring and the decline of traditional manufacturing However, there is much to build on – the coastline, the atmospheric levels and moors, industry. Taking their inspiration from the experiences of American and European and surrounding hills with their big skies are all features that lay the basis for a cities, major cities such as Glasgow, Manchester and Liverpool embarked on recognisable and distinct identity. In particular the Willow Man, created by artist Serena ambitious cultural development strategies, often based on flagship capital projects. de la Hey, could provide the icon that the District needs – innovative and inspiring and at the same time based in the artisan tradition of Sedgemoor, and with linkages to the Research undertaken for Into Somerset found that access to culture, such as the unique environmental quality of the area. theatre, arts, etc is seen as an important consideration by 50% of businesses in their perception of Somerset as a business location. While this is not as high as other What is now required is a consistent and strategic approach to developing the “quality of life” components such as availability of good housing and easy access to Sedgemoor “brand” and subsequent marketing strategy for the District. This represents coast or countryside it is still an important part of the potential “offer” and the image a significant departure from previous approaches and is currently being championed that Sedgemoor can promote externally. Various exciting initiatives to help realise this by the Somerset Tourism Partnership. have been recently outlined in the District’s cultural position statement, including:

The work done as part of the Into Somerset initiative will help the District understand • The Engine Room Community Media Centre in Bridgwater which its relative position and standing in relation to inward investment as part of the wider contributes to community cohesion and educational aspiration, particularly Somerset offer. It will be crucial, however, that the Into Somerset activities reflect the amongst young people. The Council has expressed a desire to consolidate particular offer of Sedgemoor and its locational and sectoral strengths. The six target this success and encourage the growth of film and digital arts as a markets for the County have been identified as: specialist creative sector in the District, aligning with the District economic strategy, the planned growth of Bridgwater. • Advanced Engineering • Food and Drink • Similarly in Burnham-on-Sea a cultural quarter development centred on the • Tourism and Leisure Princess Theatre is currently being considered as part of the town’s • Creative Industries regeneration. • Advanced Engineering • Bridgwater is home to the largest illuminated Carnival in Europe and • Environmental Technologies. Carnival is emerging as one of the strongest community cultural events across the region. While these reflect growing small business sectors (in particular creative and environmental technologies) where there is a relatively small (albeit growing) business The District has various other assets including museums, sites of heritage value and base, it will also be important to reflect Sedgemoor’s unique role within Somerset as assets related to sport and healthy living. The Council currently contributes funding to Blake Museum in Bridgwater and owns and runs the historic Windmill near Chapel 40 Allerton, whilst acting as an advisory service to two other Museums in the District. Elsewhere industrial heritage is celebrated at Wessex Water’s Ashford Education • Further develop the cultural events and festival programme to increase the Centre, Somerset Brick and Tile Museum and the Westonzoyland Pumping Station, profile of Sedgemoor. which explores the drainage of the Somerset Levels. The National Trust runs the Coleridge Cottage in Nether Stowey as a tribute to the Romantic Poet Samuel Taylor • Work with tourist operators and the Somerset Tourism Partnership to promote Coleridge who once lived there. In addition, the site of the last battle fought on English tourism locations with the District. soil near Westonzoyland is a site of national heritage importance. In 2006 the Council established a tourism heritage trail to celebrate and interpret the Battle of Sedgemoor. IM2 To ensure that all future development is brought forward in a form that is consistent with improving the image of Sedgemoor, in particular ensuring that In relation to sport and healthy lifestyles, in March 2008 Sedgemoor District Council integrated development of North East Bridgwater sites serve as a “shop reviewed its Sport Development and Active Lifestyle Service, which resulted in a window” for the District downsizing of the service and withdrawal of some traditional functions. That said, in light of Local Area Agreement targets and continuing support from the Somerset Impressions of the District are inextricably linked with its appearance, and “gateway” Primary Healthcare trust a new post has recently been created to facilitate the sites, and those visible from main transport routes are particularly important in this. It functions of health and active lifestyles in line with LAA objectives. The Council will therefore be important that the Local Development Framework and planning recognises the importance of both swimming and fitness within these LAA Health and policies reflect this, requiring visually integrated development where appropriate. Wellbeing objectives and is working with the Building Schools for the Future team to develop an iconic new wet and dry leisure centre in Bridgwater.

Strategic Actions

KEY COMMITMENT

Support a single consistent Sedgemoor brand to be used over the next three to five years

IM 1 To work with County and regional partners to create a strong, identifiable brand based on Sedgemoor’s competitive advantages, within the context of the wider County offer, clarifying and communicating its economic role in region - as the economic engine room of Somerset, the new 'energy centre' in the region, and a growth point for new emerging industrial sectors - environmental and energy based technologies

The Council will:

• Work collaboratively to create a town with a diverse economy and a strong sense of place.

• Promote a positive image of Sedgemoor internally as well as externally, in all its activities, including promoting examples of good company practice. 41 2.6 Sedgemoor’s Environment – A Golden Opportunity The Sedgemoor coastal strip is a dynamic environment that provides significant economic opportunities which draw on the rich natural heritage. The Severn Estuary The issue Strategy has as one of its aims “to maintain and improve the accessibility of sustainable tourist and recreational facilities that enhance the economy, whilst Sedgemoor has a rich and varied environmental asset, with much of the area being of considering the local environment”. This aim is one that is central to sustainable international nature conservation significance for wetland, waders and waterfowl. economic growth in the coastal zone and the principles of Integrated Coastal Zone Some of the more high profile of these sites (such as Shapwick Heath) could be taken Management (in its widest sense) are ones that are particularly appropriate in an area advantage of in developing niche tourism products. where social and economic drivers may be perceived to be in conflict with the need to protect the environment. Sedgemoor businesses operate, and its residents live, in an area that is at the forefront of climate change impacts. Much of the area is low lying and adjoins the One particular opportunity that may require careful management is the possibility of Severn Estuary – an area of international importance for biodiversity. Flood risk is a creating a major managed re-alignment site on Bridgwater Bay (as mitigation for real issue with the potential to affect residents and businesses. Climate change development elsewhere on the Severn estuary). While managed re-alignment can be adaptation, therefore is a serious consideration. controversial locally, there would be significant beneficial impacts including reduced flood risk (with considerable business and community benefits) and the opportunity to Balancing the sometimes competing demands of the fragile coastal environment, create an important compensatory inter-tidal habitat which could act as a significant residents and businesses can be a challenging proposition. In particular the need to economic asset through leisure and tourism. This would also be entirely consistent develop the tourism product, upon which the economic well being of the coast largely with the tourism offer outlined in relation to the wider Levels and Moors, and would relies, can sometimes be seen as in conflict with the environmental and landscape attract significant numbers of visitors The Environment Agency is currently exploring quality of the area. the possible options for the managed realignment and habitat creation project. Such activity would also provide a real high profile example of what climate change Assets and opportunities adaptation looks like, and the economic benefits it can bring.

The high quality environment provides some key advantages for the District in that it While climate change adaptation is one aspect of Sedgemoor’s response to climate is seen as a central part of a high quality of life which is reflected by the relatively high change and the movement to a low carbon economy, the other key response is to ranking of Sedgemoor in terms of IMD (Indices of Multiple Deprivation) domains that reduce the District’s climate change impacts through an overarching commitment to relate to quality of life (those concerning Living Environment, Health Deprivation and environmental good practice, including integrated travel and waste management. This Disability and Crime). It could also play an important part in raising the profile of the builds on Somerset’s unique position as a “Transition County”, creating a distinctive District and making it attractive to high value added inward investment. There is future proofed community, and will ensure that all aspects of economic activity are significant evidence that a high quality natural and built environment plays a major firmly grounded in ensuring that efficiency is delivered enabling more competitive role in inward investment decisions. businesses.

However, the environment also provides constraints to inward investment, in particular in relation to flood risk, with the River Parrett in particular being tidal throughout the District’s area, and the need to protect its character from obtrusive development (a particular issue in “open” landscape types)

There are opportunities to provide leadership in working with businesses to raise awareness of climate change and how businesses can adapt to it to ensure that they remain productive and competitive. This may be through preparing for extreme weather events or floods, that will become more frequent, or this may be through identifying market trends or niches that they can exploit. In 2008, Somerset became the first Transition Local authority committed to putting climate change issues at the heart of its decision making, and to support Transition Town initiatives across the County. 42 Strategic Actions

E1 Establish Sedgemoor as a leading authority on developing solutions to the local impact of climate change

Given its location Sedgemoor is at the forefront of climate change impacts. It also has the potential to grow innovative business sectors that develop solutions to or measures to address climate change, particularly in relation to energy generation and use. Sedgemoor could become a leading District, working with a network of similarly committed areas (such as Cornwall) to share good practice.

The Council will:

• Develop a “Climate Change Impacts and Risk Assessment Framework” against which all Council policies and activities will be assessed and embed this across all council decision making to ensure the climate change impacts of Council activity are understood and reduced as far as is possible.

• Work in partnership with the Environment Agency and other stakeholders to ensure that the economic benefits of any managed realignment of flood defence on Bridgwater Bay are fully realised and that public and business support for any scheme is secured.

E2 Establish Sedgemoor as a leading authority in developing the potential of environmental business opportunities

The Council will:

• Work to improve Business Environmental Performance and competitiveness through championing and signposting businesses to relevant regional support.

• Require any new infrastructure development to address environmental and climate change issues including the integration of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems, and achievement of appropriate BREEAM standards (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method, used to assess the environmental performance of planned and existing development).

• Promote the take up of innovation and other support aimed at developing new environmentally related technologies and products THEME 3 – PEOPLE

43 as well as ensuring that the benefits of economic growth are enjoyed by all sections of the community. Many of these issues are inextricably linked to place, particularly in relation to the need to regenerate communities that currently suffer a range of socio- economic challenges. These priorities are:

Transforming neighbourhoods – ensuring that future growth benefits all communities, and that the right measures are put in place to rejuvenate communities that have been left behind by the economic restructuring of the economy over the past few decades.

Building aspiration – an essential part of any overarching strategy that will deliver transformational change across all Sedgemoor’s neighbourhoods is to address lack of enterprise and aspiration, particularly amongst young people who will become the entrepreneurs and the workforce of tomorrow.

Building skills for the future - using the Building Schools for the Future Programme to deliver a radical improvement in educational attainment in Bridgwater, while generating wider socio-economic community benefits.

Delivering a skilled workforce – Ensuring that mainstream provision is targeted to deliver a skilled workforce that will drive business growth and investment, in particular in high value added knowledge intensive sectors.

People provide the impetus for economic growth and an enterprising and aspirational workforce would enable Sedgemoor to address a number of its structural economic weaknesses. A skilled workforce is also one of the essential aspects that stimulates inward and indigenous investment.

There are four priorities with regard to People covering a range of issues that are inherently linked to the important role of Sedgemoor’s workforce, present and future, 44 3.1 Transforming Neighbourhoods

The issue

The Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) show a District that is essentially middle ranking and it performs relatively strongly when compared to other rural parts of the region. However, there are some communities that suffer a range of deprivation issues and Sedgemoor ranks particularly poorly in the skills domain (covering educational attainment, absence rates and the proportion of working age adults with no or low qualifications).

Bridgwater in particular shows the highest levels of deprivation in Somerset while other locations with high levels of deprivation are Burnham and Highbridge (higher than average levels of deprivation are a feature of many coastal towns). Bridgwater Hamp and Sydenham LSOAs (Lower Super Output Areas1) perform particularly poorly in relation to education, skills and training.

The District also displays significant community-level issues in relation to the take up of health-related benefits such as Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Incapacity Benefit (IB). Although between 2002-2006 numbers claiming IB amongst older age groups decreased, claimants aged between 35-44 increased by 22%.

Several of Bridgwater’s deprived communities exhibit a number of characteristics that typify areas where a localised cycle of decline has occurred. A shortage of appropriate jobs can lead to an exodus of skilled labour as the more able look to move to opportunities elsewhere. This sorting effect, often reinforced through social housing allocations, can lead to the concentrations of workless, low skilled and vulnerable  


 

 


 


 

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outcomes across a range of other measures, including the degradation of the physical environment, overstretch of public services, higher levels of crime, and poor education A key element in reversing decline is the need to increase employment and enable and health outcomes. progression. This involves raising aspirations and the quality of local jobs as well as tackling worklessness as a lack of employment is often a key determinant of wider The diagram below illustrates this cycle of decline where a weak economic base in turn personal problems (when worklessness is concentrated in areas, this can accentuate leads to problems of poor housing and local environment and poor performing public cycles of decline). Tackling worklessness and improving economic performance should services which reinforce deprivation. therefore be at the heart of regeneration.

The public sector has a key role to play in not only providing core services to help individuals but also in ensuring that public infrastructure and services enable those places to adjust, reacting quickly to prevent areas from being left behind. Housing and transport play a key role in this, and need to be able to respond to unlock new opportunities as circumstances change.

It will be important to build on the successes of recent interventions. The evaluation of the SRB Programme in Hamp found that there had been a number of key achievements in increased provision of advisory and other services and enhancing 1 LSOAs are small statistical areas, generally small ‘communities’ of approximately 1500 people, uptake of learning through improved ICT provision and boosting support to young used by government to gather statistics consistently at a very local level. 45 people through activities in schools and a new ReCreation centre. In spite of limited Children’s University may lead to increased self-esteem, qualifications and in turn SRB resources, the Programme has delivered a number of physical enhancements to increase the likelihood that children from deprived backgrounds may see the potential the estate and complemented other investment e.g. in housing. Three quarters of of a university education (Higher Education) and the knock-on benefits of better quality residents agreed that the estate’s environment had improved. The Programme was of life, career development and life enrichment. also found to have indirectly assisted a number of individuals to set up in business as well as provide support for social enterprises such as the Furniture Store. In the past few years, central government has placed increasing emphasis on how councils empower and engage people in all aspects of local public service activity. This It will also be important to ensure that current interventions tackle the latest issues. In has now been brought into even sharper focus with the publication of the line with this, in Autumn 2007 the LSP agreed to target the 10 most deprived Lower Government’s white paper on community engagement, 'Communities in control: real Super Output Areas (LSOAs) in Sedgemoor as their approach to dealing with the people, real power'. The white paper sets out new duties for local authorities to majority of LAA targets and to tackle inequalities in the district. The LSP agreed to set promote empowerment and engagement. It also sets out a wide range of new up a sub-group to identify gaps in provision within these wards and develop an action initiatives to support public services to empower local people. plan to address these. This gap analysis has now been completed and funding secured of circa £40k to begin addressing the gaps identified. This vision of empowerment goes far beyond just consulting local people and communities. It also encompasses asset management and transfer, participatory Assets and Opportunities budgeting, neighbourhood working, and more. For councils, this means taking a more strategic and systematic approach to placing community engagement at the heart of Sedgemoor has been able to maintain high levels of employment for some time, and everything they do. this includes in sectors where entry level requirements are quite low. This employment provides a source of potential employment for those living in disadvantaged Strategic Actions neighbourhoods and others with poor qualification levels. KEY COMMITMENT Sedgemoor has an opportunity to make in-roads into levels of worklessness through the new Flexible New Deal Programme which will replace the current programmes. One of the key commitments for Sedgemoor is to deliver rejuvenated With stakeholders such as Jobcentre Plus, the Learning and Skills Council and the neighbourhoods and communities, with areas historically affected by high levels health services, a pro-active partnership is available to tackle deep seated problems. of deprivation, established on an upward curve, moving out of the most The District has already adopted a partnership approach within the newly established disadvantaged neighbourhoods nationally, as more effective inter agency Victoria Centre, a multi-agency centre built under the RDA’s Building Communities working including education, health, police and others provide new initiative that is already yielding benefits. This approach has the potential to yield opportunities for those excluded from the mainstream economy particular benefits in relation to addressing worklessness and assisting incapacity benefit claimants, where possible, to re-enter employment through the use of various Stakeholders are committed to halving the number of communities in the worst agencies that are able to provide ’stepping stones’ to employment (by addressing 10% and 20% nationally over the next seven years. different issues in a coordinated way) within a local context.

The persistence of worklessness and low income in certain neighbourhoods reflects C1 Local Service Teams the deep seated nature of a number of issues, and suggests that more innovative approaches are required. Sedgemoor is able to pilot and test new ideas given the Local Service Teams have recently emerged as an output of wider government reform scale of the challenge. This provides other opportunities to channel resources into to coordinate children’s services. Each team is responsible for coordinating children’s helping local residents. It will be important to ensure that new employers to the district services (ages 0-19) within a particular locality and includes representatives from a bring with them high quality employment and ensure that local people are prepared for range of previously independently operating agencies such as education attendance and given access to these jobs (mentioned elsewhere in this strategy). officers, housing support officers, youth inclusion support panel members, parent family support advisors and connections workers. Each team also works closely with Somerset is already making progress in relation to raising aspirations with the recent other local service providers including schools, the Police, social services and the launch of the Somerset Children’s University project, an initiative that has the potential Primary Care Trust. Within Sedgemoor there are two Local Service Teams located in to raise the aspirations of Sedgemoor’s young people. The project aims to raise the the north and south of the District. aspirations of children and their parents by demonstrating how becoming a part of a 46 The Council will work closely with the Local Service Teams to coordinate social and physical regeneration efforts with statutory provision for local children and young In other areas Family Intervention Projects have been successful in providing both people. support and challenge in deprived neighbourhoods, and helped to turn round failing communities with high levels of multiple deprivation. Developing long-term, multi- C2 Pilot Young Advisors in Key Neighbourhoods agency strategies on problem families to improve the way public services deal with them is central to the success of any family intervention project. All agencies must !"#$% '()*+",+ -,. /"#$% 0."01.2+ 345-60*"$+2 -%.( 789:7 /.-,+; <5./ +0.-= "#> ?", have a common approach to challenge bad behaviour and clear objectives that all /"#$% 0."01.@ >.11*$% - A*(. ,-$%. "? (.4*+*"$ 6-=.,+ A5-> /"#$% 0."01. B.1*.). >5.*, partners agree on. 4"66#$*>*.+ $..(@ 4"60-,.( >" A5-> 1"4-1 01-$$.,+ >5*$= *+ ?.-+*B1.; <5./ -()*+. -(#1>+@ 4"66#$*>/ 1.-(.,+ -$( -%.$4*.+ 5"A >" B.>>., .$%-%. /"#$% 0."01. *$ 4"66#$*>/ 1*?. The Council will work with Homes in Sedgemoor and other community based -$( ,.%.$.,->*"$@ 5-)*$% B..$ >,-*$.( >" 3/"#>5 0,""?2 0"1*4*.+ -$( 0,-4>*4.+; <5./ -1+" organisations to investigate the need for a Family Intervention project covering target A",= (*,.4>1/ A*>5 /"#$% 0."01. >" .$4"#,-%. >5.6 >" %.> neighbourhoods. *$)"1).( *$ ,.%.$.,->*"$; C6 Monitor newly established multi-agency community centre and roll out <5. C"#$4*1 A*11 A",= A*>5 0-,>$.,+ *$41#(*$% /"#>5 +.,)*4.+ .>4 >" .+>-B1*+5 - 0*1"> !"#$% best practice accordingly '()*+",+ D,"%,-66. *$ - >-,%.> $.*%5B"#,5""(; Early signs indicate that the newly established Victoria Centre in Bridgwater is C3 Pilot the Use of Local Charters encouraging local residents to address issues related to inactivity and worklessness. The strength and success of the Centre lies in its multi-agency approach to service A local charter is a voluntary partnership agreement between a community, the local delivery – providing coordinated information, advice and guidance and signposting authority and other service providers. It describes the service standards which local local people to appropriate services. Along with the doctor’s surgery and pharmacy, people expect from the local authority and other agencies, as well as commitments the Centre provides accommodation for Fire Safety Officers, Police Community from service providers, local groups and residents themselves to help meet local Support Officers, the Credit Union and Bridgwater College (who provide a range of community priorities. A charter therefore gives communities an opportunity for greater courses including adult numeracy and literacy, English for Speakers of Other participation and genuine engagement with the local authorities involved in making Languages (ESOL) and basic I.T. classes). The centre also has an active Family decisions. Charters give local people a direct role in influencing local services. They Support Room where local people can work with an Early Years Learning Officer and a enable them to become more active in their local communities, and take on PCT Health Trainer as well as access family support. The centre has its own Caf e responsibilities themselves, so that they can actively contribute to improvements, which provides employment opportunities for people with learning difficulties. rather than just being passive recipients. The Council will monitor and evaluate the successes of the Victoria Centre and roll out The Council will work with a range of providers and community organisations to identified best practice accordingly. encourage the establishment of a local charter, engaging and involving all sectors of the community.

C4 Integrate Housing Services with neighbourhood renewal

The important role of housing in neighbourhood regeneration is also crucial. Homes in Sedgemoor as the Arms Length Management Organisation could play a significant role in the future as a mechanism for delivery of a much wider range of advice and guidance.

The Council will work in partnership with Homes in Sedgemoor and other organisations to investigate innovative ways to integrate housing provision and a range of actions to address issues such as worklessness and low skills levels.

C5 Family Intervention 47 3.2 Building Aspiration – Breaking the Worklessness Cycle Raising aspiration is a long term goal and requires a commitment to engage with young people while they are still at school. Education Business Partnerships play a key The issue role in delivering a number of initiatives in partnership with local companies, schools and other public and voluntary sector organisations. These include: In order to ensure work becomes the route out of deprivation, a number of inter- generational barriers need to be overcome. While multi agency delivery over an • Enterprise Challenges, which set two or more schools in competition to create extended timescale will be required to remove some of the physical barriers, one of the and develop new initiatives or products which are presented to a team of underlying barriers is much harder to remove. This is a lack of aspiration and ambition, judges. particularly amongst young people. This lack of aspiration and expectation leads to low educational attainment, and in turn to worklessness. This culture of low ambition is • Industry/Enterprise days which stimulate young peoples' awareness of often passed from one generation to another, and becomes more entrenched over industry, enterprise and career options in a one-day event held in schools and time so that intervention becomes more challenging to deliver. However, it is appropriate off-site venues. imperative that this is addressed so that a more enterprising and entrepreneurial culture underpins the growth in key sectors where Sedgemoor can develop a • Mentoring programmes in which volunteers from businesses pair up one to competitive advantage. one with both secondary and primary pupils in local schools.

Sedgemoor faces an additional challenge as the decline of traditional employment opportunities has reduced options for many people, resulting in a need to increase There are a range of other activities that have been successful in other locations and access to self-employment and enterprise opportunities. Linked to this is the need to that may be worth consideration in the Sedgemoor context. This would demonstrate improve educational performance. The opportunity to start up and run even a micro- real commitment to addressing the untapped potential within Sedgemoor’s business requires a number of skills to increase the sustainability of new enterprises. communities, and unlock the ideas that are as yet unrealised. Franchise activities such as Enterprise Island and Entrepreneurs Boot Camps have proved to be successful in There are significant benefits from increasing both enterprise and aspirations in the wide range of locations suffering similar economic challenges. District. These include: Bridgwater carnival is also a key source of potential activity that can inspire and
The opportunity for many more people to use the full range of their skills and enthuse both young and old. There is a wealth of creative energy associated with talents, increasing their own prosperity, and creating gaps in the workforce for carnival, that could be channelled so that it has real relevance to skills and aspiration. others to take up – this is an important part of increasing employment Similarly, for many young people, social enterprise is an attractive alternative to opportunities for those not in employment; “mainstream” business models.

Strengthening local and neighbourhood economies through the development of micro and social enterprises providing new services;

Allowing people to create their own jobs, through enterprise and self employment, taking account of their personal circumstances

Assets and opportunity

Much of what has been done across the country to address lack of enterprise and aspiration in communities has been focused on mainly urban areas through initiatives such as the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative (LEGI). However, the levels of deprivation within Bridgwater in particular and the causes in past economic shocks, mean that similar approaches would be appropriate here.

48 Strategic Actions • Work with all relevant partners to focus the assistance available provided by all partner organisations on the geographical areas identified which will make most impact and to achieve LAA targets, taking into account particular rural AS1 To raise the aspiration and ambition of Sedgemoor’s young people issues.

Without addressing the underlying issue of low aspiration in some communities, future economic growth will be constrained, and the growth that does occur will not benefit some neighbourhoods. In order to turn round this “cycle” of low aspiration leading to worklessness or low paid occupations, and benefit dependency which is then transferred to the next generation a combined imaginative approach is required.

The Council will:

• Work with the Education Business Partnership to investigate the particular needs of young people in Sedgemoor and to roll out “Young Enterprise” activities through the use of role models, young entrepreneurs clubs, and schools based activity.

• Use the Local Service Teams and other local community based support and provision to identify and establish appropriate Community enterprise champions.

• Formulate and play a leading role in working groups to deliver the target for NI 152 (Employment & Skills Task Force).

• Work with partners to establish the potential for Carnival to act as a key driver for enterprise and skills development, including investigation into the feasibility of a Carnival Learning centre.

• Work with the Princes Trust through encouraging local business engagement as corporate supporters through community investment and employee involvement.

AS2 Evidence Based Policy and Targeting

It is essential that any neighbourhood focused activity is informed by up to date statistical and labour market information to inform decisions and target delivery of assistance on areas for most impact.

The Council will:

• Map out current provision which assists people on out of work benefits back into work within Sedgemoor and West Somerset; to identify gaps within the district council areas to target delivery for best impact.

49 3.3 Increasing Educational Attainment – Skills for the Future BSF provides the chance to create flexible learning opportunities enabling youngsters to achieve greater success, academically and vocationally. Put simply, the creation of The issue an appropriately skilled, local workforce will attract inward investment to Somerset and provide career opportunities for youngsters enabling them to remain in their home A further key strand to break the cycle of social exclusion is to raise educational area. The BSF vision includes enabling all children and young people to achieve their attainment rates. Across the country a number of local areas have yet to catch up with full potential and we will recognise and respond to the learning and cultural needs of the rest of the country in delivering basic educational standards, leaving a large individuals and communities. number of young adults at risk of disengagement from both education and employment. The wider community benefits of BSF are expected to be: • Increased opportunities for life long learning; The government has rightly raised the bar for school-leaving qualifications, now • The promotion of cultural change to support regeneration; including English and Maths in the benchmark to incorporate some measure of core • Tackling deprivation and enhancing economic prosperity; skills and The National Challenge, launched by the government in June 2008, requires • Increasing access to arts and sport; every secondary school to have achieved a benchmark for pupils achieving five good • Promoting understanding of the impact of climate change; GCSEs including English and Maths within three years. • Improving health; and • Improving community cohesion and safety. In Somerset, three of the four schools that have failed to achieve this “floor target” (there are 638 secondary schools in England below the target) are in Bridgwater. If this wider focus is maintained, with the implementation of a learning platform However against the "contextual value added" measure, from Key Stage 2 to Key comprising a broad range of integrated ICT systems with a Virtual Learning Stage 4, which compares pupils' exam performances with the middle performance of Environment (VLE) at its heart, BSF will act as the catalyst to wider regeneration that it other pupils nationally who had similar prior attainment, weighted to take account of promises to be. Providing leadership in this will be the Bridgwater Education Trust, their backgrounds, these schools compare much more favourably. adding value beyond that of the individual schools by facilitating collaboration, developing capacity and increasing opportunities. Even accounting for the contextual value added (CAV) that Sedgemoor’s schools deliver there is an urgent need to improve educational attainment as part of the wider New schools will not address every education need for younger people. Bridgwater strategy to regenerate neighbourhoods and in order to create a well qualified workforce College has a key role to play in post 16 education and can build on its effectiveness in for the future. The pressing nature of this agenda is underlined by the similarities engaging young people in a wide range of training and skills activity, especially where between the pattern of school-leaving qualifications and the pattern of young people linked with future employment opportunities in key sectors. classified as Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) and of local deprivation. The mutually reinforcing barriers to education and employment faced at school, and then by young adults, leave many at significant risk of social exclusion

Assets and opportunity

The Building Schools for the Future Programme and the establishment of the Bridgwater Education Trust will be central to addressing educational attainment as part of the wider local regeneration agenda and is the catalyst to transform learning in Somerset, starting with the re-building of six schools in Bridgwater.

Rebuilding the schools will bring significant opportunities for the local community, however, BSF is not just about the construction of new buildings; it’s about working collectively to transform the way our children learn and the way the wider community support this and engage in their own continuing education. Success will enable social and cultural change, aid the regeneration of Somerset and make a huge difference to the community. 50 Strategic Actions

KEY COMMITMENT

Given the importance of Building Schools for the Future, and the unique opportunity it offers the town of Bridgwater, delivery of BSF, and ensuring it meets wider socio-economic challenges, is one of Sedgemoor’s ten key commitments

It will be important to use the unique opportunity of Sedgemoor’s BSF investment to improve Sedgemoor’s educational attainment results to above the national averages, while maintaining “value added” scores.

ED1 Raise educational attainment to above national averages and use schools as a catalyst for neighbourhood regeneration

The Building Schools for the Future Programme will be central to addressing educational attainment as part of the wider local regeneration agenda. The Council will:

• Provide local leadership and ensure that the wider economic objectives of the District are reflected in BSF activity through the Bridgwater Education Trust, ensuring the future needs of employers are recognised and reflected, as well as the need to develop a new approach to schools in the District that stimulates wider community renewal.

• Work with the College to review and develop FE provision to re-engage young people in education or training that meets wider economic objectives.

ED2 Promote diverse employment and career plans It will be important to ensure that Sedgemoor schools (and young people) benefit from the ‘Manufacturing the Future’ schools campaign to promote manufacturing career prospects to young people - and other similar initiatives.

The Council will:

• Work with partners to ensure that any such relevant educational initiatives are fully taken advantage of.

• Provide economic leadership as a member of the Bridgwater Education Trust, ensuring that the needs of business and broader economic objectives influence curriculum discussions.

51 3.4 Closing the Skills Gap – Local People for Local Jobs HE development

The Issue A consortium of local stakeholders is also considering the demand for an increase in Higher Education (HE) provision in Somerset. The Somerset Universities Partnership Sedgemoor has significant challenges in relation to skills levels in the labour force with Project (SUPP) was established as a result of a Think Tank conference in November a high proportion of its working age population with no qualifications. There is a strong 2006. Feasibility work has been undertaken and consulted upon and the preferred link between skills and qualifications, employment rates and income levels, and option at present envisages a model of HE provision that gives strong stimulus for increasing the employment rate is now accepted as one of the key elements in collaboration between FE colleges, encourages more people to gain university level reducing high concentrations of deprivation in disadvantaged communities. qualifications and also enhances the impact of HE on the economy.

There are also some key challenges to be met in order to meet the required 2020 skills mix set out by Leitch (who reviewed the future skills needs of the UK economy). By Local Labour Agreements 2020 Sedgemoor needs to have doubled the current proportion of its workforce qualified to degree level to meet the profile of a competitive workforce. In part, this Local Labour Agreements, between local authorities and prospective employers, change is underway as more young people take up higher education opportunities. ensure that the potential benefits of new development within an area (in terms of both employment and procurement) are retained within that area. LLAs can therefore This need is particularly pronounced in terms of reducing the percentage of those with include the training for local people; agreements for local job advertisements and qualifications below Level 2, currently 34% in Sedgemoor compared to the Leitch employment; agreements for jobs for local people; places for trainees and Local target of 13% by 2020. business agreements

Assets and opportunity A local authority may set up a local business agreement with developers and building companies so that they can learn of opportunities for local businesses to compete for Building on success – Bridgwater College contracts. The authority will then support local businesses and social enterprises (small not-for-profit businesses that benefit the local community) to benefit from the One of Sedgemoor’s high profile economic assets is Bridgwater College which works opportunities that will come from major development projects in the area. This may closely with local employers in relation to their training needs and its provision include helping local companies to bid for local contracts and supporting companies to contributes strongly to the long term economic growth of the area. The College enjoys deliver contracts when they win them. long-standing partnerships with the business community and currently has four Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) in Residential Care, Tourism and In 2000 the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (a leading think tank on social and economic Hospitality, Automotive Engineering and Early Years. issues) undertook a study into local labour in construction, one of the key sectors to benefit from LLAs, and how this might tackle social exclusion and skills shortages. Key to the delivery of employer led skills development will be the expanded Train to The study examined the experience of 25 projects that aim to ensure that local people, Gain provision which will be of particular benefit to small businesses that traditionally especially school-leavers and unemployed people, obtain training and work have not had the capacity or resources to upskill their workforce. There will, however, opportunities from new developments and building maintenance programmes. It be a need to stimulate demand within the small business sector for this provision, looked at the rationale for the approach, legal and contractual issues, the organisation making them aware of the opportunities and benefits. of labour supply, training and local business support, monitoring and funding arrangements, and the outputs achieved. The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DFIUS) have also announced a The study makes the following recommendations: new focus on apprenticeships. This will see a significant increase in new manufacturing apprenticeships, which will increase the total number of manufacturing • The design of a local initiative needs to take account of local priorities (e.g. apprenticeships by over 10%. There will also be a simplification of the ways that youth or adult unemployment) and the type and scale of the construction manufacturing businesses can access support on skills and training. programme. • Specifying the local labour requirements in the tender/contract helps to maximise 'value for money' and ensures equality for those submitting tenders. 52 • Providing appropriate recruitment and training programmes and a rapid job- • Work with partners to develop a Carnival linked skills programme and explore matching service are important for achieving success. the potential for the establishment of a Carnival Learning Centre. • There are benefits in establishing a dedicated area-wide team to deliver the • Ensure employer linkages to BSF activity are made. local labour initiative. Where this cannot be justified, improved networking • Work with Job Centre Plus to develop and promote Local Employment between existing agencies can achieve good results. Partnerships.

Strategic Actions

KEY COMMITMENT

Given its unique position to make a major contribution to future economic growth and economic inclusion, a key commitment is to work with Bridgwater College to expand provision that develops the local labour force and that meets the skills requirements of local employers, ensuring employers are engaged in identifying skills needs

SK1 To expand the provision of FE and HE within the District, and ensure that this provision meets the needs of local business, both now and in emerging knowledge driven sectors

The Council will work closely with both the college and employers to establish

• The formation of a local training compact via the Bridgwater Chamber of Commerce. This might take the form of Level 2 skills development (in customer care/business admin and appropriate embedded Skills for Life support) for smaller employers located in or around the town centre. • Knowledge Transfer Partnerships between the college and employers. • A potential Local Education Partnership with private sector and skills sector councils.

The Council will also work proactively to support the Somerset Universities project

SK2 To raise employee / workforce skills and ensure that a skilled workforce is a key driver of business productivity and competitiveness

The Council will

• Provide a co-ordinated point of contact for Train to Gain Championing Train to gain, apprenticeships, vocational training, return to work / occupational health. • Develop a framework and policy for the establishment of Local Labour Agreements for new investors in particular, ensuring that major investment is used to effectively upskill and train local people. • Work to understand skills shortages and migrant labour demands. 53 PEOPLE THEME – LINKAGES

54 THEME 4 – BUSINESS The Business Theme covers a range of priorities that are important to ensure that Sedgemoor provides the right environment for indigenous businesses to grow, and to stimulate inward investment in priority sectors. Enterprising, successful businesses create high quality employment opportunities that will attract or retain highly skilled individuals. These priorities are:

Business Infrastructure: ensuring that the growth needs of existing businesses and inward investors are met in terms of quality development sites.

Manufacturing – recognising the historical importance of this sector to Sedgemoor and its continued importance for employment .

Leadinginenergy– building on the existing strengths in the District in relation to the energy sector, to establish Sedgemoor’s position as a regional or even national lead in energy related enterprise and skills.

Growing sectors – enabling Sedgemoor to fulfil its potential in relation to small business sectors, in particular in relation to creative / media and food and drink.

Tourism – enhancing the quality of Sedgemoor’s strong tourism product to maintain and increase its position as a vital business sector for the District.

Into Somerset – ensuring that the enterprise friendly image of Sedgemoor is used effectively to drive appropriate business investment that will contribute to wider economic objectives.

Boosting productivity – providing existing businesses with the support they need to increase their productivity.

The focus on the needs of business, particularly in relation to specific sectors, needs to take account of the current economic climate and long term projections regarding growth. Economic projections (as at September 2008) suggest growth of output in construction (due to the downturn in house prices), hotels & restaurants (due to the likely pressures on discretionary spending) and financial services, will slow sharply in the immediate period, although all of these sectors will still enjoy significant growth over the ten year period of the forecasts.

Total employment in the South West, is projected to rise by more than 40,000 per year during the period to 2015. This implies an average annual employment growth rate of 1.6% a year during 2007-2015, representing a slowdown from the recent period of expansion. This is partly inevitable and expected, reflecting demographic ageing, lower indigenous spare capacity and slower economic in-migration growth from overseas. On the whole, production employment is projected to decline, while service sector employment expands. The main exception is financial services, where declining output 55 growth together with strong productivity growth imply declining employment over this period. This scenario may have a marked impact on Sedgemoor given its employment structure and the recent significant increases in financial services.

At times of cyclical change, it is important to anticipate the next recovery and to remain aware of the structural conditions and potential interventions needed for business competitiveness going forward. Incentives to invest in skills, technologies and other forms of productive improvement are vital drivers of true sustainability.

The Council should commit to foster businesses in its area, to build in support through service delivery for example, through environmental health, and to integrate flexibility, enable innovation and enterprise, through the planning system to meet business needs and develop an economy fit for the future

56 4.1 Business Infrastructure A full portfolio of workspace is required to provide start up and incubation space, ideally integrated with business support providers, as well as grow-on accommodation to ensure churn in the market and providing space that allows incoming businesses to The Issue be accommodated. Small “enterprise hub” style units may be particularly appropriate in rural areas with provision of small scale business space (and associated provision of Meeting workspace demand hot desking, meeting space and the like) focused on smaller settlements. There are numerous examples of similar such investments that have proved successful, funded Recent trends have seen a shift of employment towards the service economy, through the South West Objective 2 and Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Objective One particularly in relation to the finance, banking and insurance sectors. While the current Programmes, and the RDA. Such examples provide a useful example of how economic slowdown will impact on this sector perhaps more than others, it is likely to interventions can be taken forward in Sedgemoor. In contrast, larger units will be remain important in the longer term. This is likely to require more small office and focused around the core population points. workspace accommodation, available on flexible arrangements, whereas Sedgemoor’s current workspace supply is currently focused on stock which catered for a New and improved workspace provision needs to be accompanied by investment in predominantly industrial business base, and may now be outdated and unsuitable for infrastructure to support target business sectors. This will include investment in the current business needs. highways network to ensure that sites can be effectively serviced and ongoing liaison with utilities providers to ensure that sites are served and sufficient capacity remains While provision of space for start ups is important there are also limited within the system. In accordance with LAA actions, Sedgemoor will also continue to accommodation options available for business expansion with move on space required expand its ICT and broadband infrastructure to allow businesses and individuals to to accommodate business needs within the district and create movement within the work more efficiently and provide greater business opportunities. market. The growth in specific sectors, particularly those with a technology focus or where networking and collaboration are typical, may require more specialist small workspace provision including incubation space, and provide opportunities to create In keeping with objectives related to the image and perception of the District, with niche cluster developments. Bridgwater as its principle “shop window” it will be important that while the Council can provide enabling policies in relation to land allocations, it will be for developers to bring Speculative development in Sedgemoor remains limited. This in part reflects the ambitious design standards that match the District’s aspirations both in terms of limited supply of readily available sites and the comparatively low profile of Sedgemoor provision of a visual consistency and environmental best practice / future proofing. At to prompt development. As market conditions have recently experienced a downturn the same time occupiers should be encouraged to adopt employment and operational the appetite for speculative development will reduce further. As the nature of practices that are consistent with the development of a highly skilled and local development in Sedgemoor is new and emerging there is a need to provide space up workforce. front to secure occupier interest rather than a trend for businesses to commit off plan. Sites around North Bridgwater provide the potential to develop a showcase for a new Assets and opportunities business facility demonstrating leading, cutting edge technology, linked to R&D and energy sectors, and with links to the college or the emerging Somerset University. This Sedgemoor has a wealth of potential employment sites, as identified through the would sit strategically at the centre of the region and on the primary transport network. recent Employment Land Review. Sites have the ability to accommodate a variety of An excellent model is the Warwick Digital Lab - a multi-disciplinary research centre business uses in response to economic priorities and will be prioritised to allow combining academic expertise with that in underpinning sciences including economic objectives to be realised. A workspace strategy will be progressed to ensure psychology, medicine, computer science and mathematics. Businesses wishing to that an appropriate range of sites and units are provided by size and type and that full engage in hi-tech R&D are encouraged to come and discover the potential for cost- details of this supply is readily available in the marketplace. effective research.

All development decisions will take regard of the new planning framework established At the same time it is important to ensure that business space, whether it be office or through the Local Development Framework but will also consider the economic industrial is complemented by appropriate local support functions (such as crèches, framework. Opportunities will be encouraged that allow a diverse employment base to support services, meeting and conference facilities etc). be established with opportunities for local businesses and residents to take advantage of the new sites, premises and employment to be created as well as generating wider benefits for the local economy.

57 Strategic Actions • Work with Somerset County Council and the South West RDA in relation to county and region-wide plans for business incubation which include potential BI1 Providing land for new development and encouraging the sites in Sedgemoor. redevelopment of existing brownfield land BI4 Promote and enhance Sedgemoor’s ‘can do’ approach to business It will be important that the sites identified for particular business uses, that will through excellent communication between Sedgemoor District Council, contribute to the overarching economic objectives of the District, are based on sound Somerset County Council, businesses and service providers, including economic rationale and that these sites are protected for employment use. infrastructure providers

The Council will: While leadership is covered in an earlier section it is important to emphasise here the importance of emphasising the ‘can do’ nature of Sedgemoor for business and • Establish an “enabling” framework through the Local Development Framework, ensuring that communication channels are clear to reduce the risk for delays. ensuring that the correct sites are identified and protected for economic use, Communication with the County will be key due in particular to highways issues that focused on securing economic growth and regeneration objectives whilst may need to be resolved in relation to specific development proposals. There is a need balancing needs for affordable housing; for a strong partnership emphasis as the Council cannot do this in isolation and it must • Secure an inward investor for North Bridgwater; be two-way process with industrialists. • Stimulate transport investment (utilising Section 106 funds where appropriate) at Colley Lane to improve links between Junction 24 and the Town centre. BI5 Support the development of new office accommodation within • Develop a consistent approach to business Planning applications across the Bridgwater District, with firmly embedded economic criteria; • Work with the County to ensure that Sedgemoor’s strategic economic Bridgwater is not yet established as an office development location, and whilst there is objectives and investment plans are aligned with transport planning policy, to significant forecast future demand for within service sectors of the district's economy, ensure that development plans can be accommodated; the private sector is not in a position to speculatively build new office accommodation • Encourage the provision of peripheral business and employee support within the district. In order to ensure that this does not become a barrier to future services that create a modern employee friendly environment. growth and diversification within the district's economy.

BI2 Grow Sedgemoor’s reputation within Somerset as a District with The Council should consider how it may most effectively support private developers to excellent access to ICT/broadband infrastructure bring forward investment in appropriate office sites and premises in Burnham Town Centre and along the Bristol road corridor. The provision of suitable sites and premises is only one part of the package that Sedgemoor will need to promote to attract new high value added knowledge intensive business, or to grow those that are already trading in the District. As recent research has shown, the provision of high speed Broadband is also a crucially important part of the offer. It will be important to ensure, therefore, that any new development, particularly that provided by the public sector is fully ICT enabled and “future proofed” to ensure the easy adoption of new technologies. The Council will have a role to play in working with Connecting Somerset to ensure adoption in both private and public sector funded development.

BI3 Increase access to Business incubation, and grow-on space in the District. The Council will: • Bring forward, and seek funding, where there is identified market failure, for appropriate incubation space in key locations, to expand the physical provision of a range of space with networked provision of business support packages. 58 4.2 Manufacturing – Sedgemoor’s Historic Strength advantage of changing global trends in manufacturing. In bringing forward its refreshed manufacturing strategy, developed by the Department for Business and the The issue Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, in partnership with industry, the Government is reaffirming is commitment to the sector as a key part of a mixed and “Manufacturing is central to the success of the UK economy and it is vital the sector balanced UK economy in the future. has the right foundations to endure the current economic slowdown and emerge stronger and fitter than ever” (John Hutton) There are a number of factors that will influence success in the manufacturing sector in Sedgemoor has a proud history of manufacturing, from the thriving brick and tile the long term, all of which are of particular relevance to Sedgemoor: industry that prospered up until the 1930s to the more recent strengths in food and drink and packaging. Bridgwater is also inextricably linked in many people’s minds with Seizing the opportunities of the low carbon economy the British Cellophane (latterly Innovia) factory at Sydenham which was the town’s In 2009, a national low carbon industrial strategy will address the challenges facing largest employer in the immediate post war period. Its closure had a significant impact manufacturers as they try to reduce their carbon footprint and realise the huge on employment in the town, but manufacturing employment has remained relatively opportunities from investment in energy and a shift to a low carbon economy. robust across the District and it remains a significant component of the Sedgemoor economy, accounting for some 16% of total employment, with new investment and Supporting skills high profile companies such as Yeo Valley, Gerbers and Wisemans bringing “new” There will be also a new focus on apprenticeships. This will see 1,500 new manufacturing jobs that are often higher skilled and more technical than previous manufacturing apprenticeships, in addition to the 9,000 places announced earlier this employers. year which will increase the total number of manufacturing apprenticeships by over 10%. There will also be a simplification of the ways manufacturers can access support Manufacturing provides high levels of full time employment, which accounts for over on skills and training. 90% of jobs in the sector. These jobs are often well skilled and yield higher than average earnings. The employment numbers, along with supply chain linkages, makes Realising overseas opportunities manufacturing employment of considerable value to the local economy. Employment in UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) will allocate additional resources to target a package of new support for 600 UK companies of all sizes to identify manufacturing value chain this sector is heavily male dominated. opportunities in India and China. And the UK Intellectual Property Office (UK-IPO) will The nature of manufacturing in the UK has changed considerably in recent decades advise on using and protecting Intellectual Property in these markets. with the lower cost of production overseas meaning that many “production line” jobs have been lost. However, there is now more of an emphasis on the innovative side of Improving technology networks manufacturing meaning more jobs are in higher end, knowledge intensive occupations. A new body, ‘Manufacturing Insight’; will be tasked with making the public perception Sedgemoor needs to ensure that its workforce adapts to meet these new requirements of manufacturing reflect the realist of a successful, modern and broad sector and so that the move to more knowledge intensive employment benefits local people. ensuring young people are aware of the exciting career opportunities available will be established. There will also be a ‘Manufacturing the Future’; schools campaign to Assets and opportunity promote manufacturing career prospects to young people. (see also skills section)

While these are demanding times for manufacturing, despite the current challenging global economic climate, and recent downturns in the sector, there is reason for some Making the most of ‘intangibles’; confidence. Britain has the open and flexible markets that will allow British business to UK and global businesses are growing their investment in intangible or knowledge react to changing and challenging circumstances and manufacturing is still very much assets, such as software, design, brand building in order to improve their global a UK success story and the unsung hero of the UK’s economy. competitiveness and to meet the changing needs of customers. The Design Council and Regional Development Agencies will implement the findings of the current review In September 2008 the Government unveiled a new strategy for the UK’s of the Designing Demand programme to increase penetration of the programme manufacturing sector – ‘New Challenges, New Opportunities’ - to help UK firms take across the regions. 59 investment moves. In particular, opportunities are likely to focus around the Strategic Actions: distribution sector - taking advantage of the area's excellent transport connections - but consideration should also be given to existing manufacturing businesses which may MS1 Ensure that Sedgemoor manufacturing businesses benefit from BERR / continue to grow and develop over time. Government initiatives

The Government’s renewed focus on manufacturing as the “unsung success story” of MS4 Ensure that appropriate infrastructure investment (particularly the UK economy provides real opportunities for areas such as Sedgemoor where transport) is put in place to enable businesses to operate efficiently and manufacturing has retained a significant base. It will be important that manufacturing effectively businesses in the District remain competitive through innovation and workforce development, and that they are made aware of the opportunities that exist to receive Investment in infrastructure such as the upgrading of Colley Lane will enable support as outlined above. The Council has a key role to play in ensuring that businesses to operate more efficiently, whilst also offering opportunities for manufacturing sector businesses are aware of the support on offer. To this end the environmental improvement and land release. Council will:

• Signpost businesses to relevant national and regional support services, ensuring that Council officers that have contact with business are aware of wider support mechanisms and can provide an integrated information service. • Work with the relevant trades bodies, sector skills agencies and business organisations to drive uptake of support provision amongst Sedgemoor’s manufacturing businesses. • Encourage, with business leaders, networking within and outwith the sector to drive innovation and growth. In particular to work with the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) to identify symbiotic relationships between business that can create new markets and increase competitiveness. • In keeping with Somerset’s “transition” status, and in partnership with the County, champion the uptake of innovative “low carbon” solutions that will give Sedgemoor’s businesses a competitive advantage in future markets.

MS2 Develop a workforce with the skills to support innovation and growth of “new” knowledge intensive manufacturing businesses

Skills issues are covered in some detail in an earlier section. However it is important to emphasise the need to address Sedgemoor’s lack of appropriate level skills in its current workforce and the gap that this then creates for businesses that need to innovate and grow to stay competitive. The Council will therefore work with businesses and the college to identify current and future skills needs (giving consideration to the needs of hi tech manufacturers using advanced technologies and robotics) and put in place strategies to ensure that these are developed within the “indigenous” workforce.

MS3 Ensure an appropriate supply of sites and premises are available to support new and existing businesses establish and grow

The district's portfolio of employment land should include a range of industrial business sites which provide opportunities to support the needs of existing businesses which may grow over the course of the next 10-15 years, and also to support potential inward 60 4.3 Leading in Energy to research and hi-tech nuclear-related industry. The potential development of the Severn Barrage may also provide wider employment and supply chain benefits. “I want the UK to be at the forefront of opportunities opened up by the move towards a low carbon economy. With the right support in place, we can grow our nuclear and The opportunities that significant infrastructure investments will create for smaller renewables industries to become world-leaders in green technologies, supporting enterprises in the supply chain will be significant, an issue that has been recognised hundreds of thousands of "green collar jobs”. John Hutton nationally with a commitment that the Office of Nuclear Development will work with industry partners to develop the nuclear supply chain and maximise high value-added The issue work captured by UK manufacturers from an estimated £20bn capital expenditure in nuclear. In addition a new Office for Renewable Energy Deployment will be established In February 2003, the Energy White Paper “Our Energy Future – Creating a Low to address barriers to renewables deployment including helping to develop the UK Carbon Economy” set out a new framework for energy policy. It contained four goals: supply chain. It is predicted that nuclear and renewables alone could create up to 260,000 jobs nationally over the next ten years. • To put ourselves on a path to cut the UK’s CO2 emissions – the main contributor to global warming– by some 60% by about 2050, with real There is an existing critical mass of businesses in Sedgemoor that are linked to energy progress by 2020 and this provides a sound base for further sector development, and the potential to • To maintain the reliability of energy supplies develop a regional energy cluster that moves away from a solely renewables focus to • To sustain our industrial and business competitiveness one that looks to share innovation and good practice across all forms of energy • To ensure that every home is adequately and affordably heated production, recognising that a balanced energy policy will mean continued investment in “traditional” forms of energy as well as renewables. This placed new emphasis on the energy sector, particularly in relation to ensuring security of supply, and developing the energy supply chain, as well as in relation to As well as the potential for large scale infrastructure development, and the potential ensuring that the Government’s ambitious targets are met. business cluster, the District has a significant intellectual asset in Bridgwater College, where a redundant cheese-making facility at Cannington was converted into a training It will therefore be imperative that the significant potential infrastructure development complex for the nuclear decommissioning industry (and has been cited as an excellent linked to energy generation in the vicinity of Sedgemoor is taken full advantage of and example of industry and education working together.) that this has real benefits for local businesses, and local communities. Ensuring this is maximised is a considerable challenge and it will be important to work with West The courses run in the Centre include both classroom and ‘mock-up’ training where Somerset and other partners through groups such as the Somerset Nuclear Energy employees can practice deconstruction skills and demonstrate their proficiency during Group to identify the potential benefits for local contractors, suppliers and service differing simulated radiological conditions and simulated hazardous environments. providers and to ensure the full community benefit of any investment is realised. The College has now been named as the South West hub for the industry’s National Assets and opportunity Skills Academy and is set to play a key role in the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s strategy for delivering a skilled workforce. Sedgemoor has a number of existing assets that give it a real competitive edge in this area. First and foremost is its proximity to Hinkley, which, with the likely sale of British Central to the offer is the Foundation Degree in Nuclear Decommissioning offered in energy to EDF, is likely to be the site for the development of new nuclear generating conjunction with the University of Central Lancashire, while other qualifications offered capacity. This in itself has potential for significant employment generation and to create include NVQ Levels 2/3 in Nuclear Decommissioning and NVQ Levels 2/3 in Radiation wider benefits for the local economy through expenditure as part of any de- Protection. commissioning and new build activity as well as increased expenditure as a result of new employment. In addition, the potential development of a Pressurised Water On a wider level, the NDA (Nuclear Decommissioning Authority) funded Community Reactor (PWR) brings with it significant potential for associated investment in relation Apprenticeship scheme has been introduced to enable supply chain companies working within the nuclear sector to take advantage of additional funding to take on 61 Apprentices for the first time or grow additional Apprentice skills for their business, Sedgemoor with a unique competitive advantage as such development is likely to be enabling continued and better resource capability to support the Nuclear Site Licence forthcoming despite an economic slowdown. The Council will: companies to achieve their delivery objectives safely to time and cost. • Provide leadership through the Somerset Nuclear Energy Group to ensure The scheme aims to initially provide up to 75 Apprenticeships, spread across five that the community benefit of the Hinkley development is maximised. regional areas (NW/NE; SE/E; SW; Scotland and Wales). Funding will be provided • Investigate links with Cumbria (already established through the UCLAN direct to the employer to help cover Apprentice wage costs over the period of the Foundation degree) to identify potential synergies with activity. apprenticeship, with minimal bureaucracy to make this a realistic opportunity for Small • Support Bridgwater College in securing funding for the further and Medium Employers (SME’s) in the supply chain for nuclear. This will be on top of development of the Nuclear Skills Centre. the funding already provided by the Learning and Skills Council for Apprenticeship • Work with the College to ensure that young people in Sedgemoor are training costs. aware of the opportunities for apprenticeships and employment opportunities related to the Hinkley development, and that the relevant The former Royal Ordnance Factory site in Puriton has been identified to offer potential training is available. for further development of the district’s energy sector - with potential in terms of electricity generation and also energy technology related research and development. ENE2 Establish a high profile regional energy cluster in the District

As a large brown field site away from the town centre and a use that will generate Driving innovation across different energy sub sectors would be facilitated through the limited transport movements with an on site water course and significant energy development of a regional energy centre, which would serve as a hub for small supply, there is potential for energy generation and associated specialist Research and businesses in the energy supply chain. This would also be a central plank of Development activity focused on the sector. Sedgemoor’s ambition to be the South West’s Enterprise Coast. The Council will:

At this stage this is only identified as a potential opportunity with further work required • Bring forward the Puriton site for the development of a regional energy cluster, to consider the planning, transport and potential environmental implications of such a including undertaking feasibility work, developing the business case and development. Development would however significantly strengthen the district’s energy securing public and private funding. cluster and allow further links to be established with Bridgwater College to enable local residents to access the widening employment base.

Strategic Actions

KEY COMMITMENT

One of Sedgemoor’s key commitments is that Sedgemoor will be one of the UKs leading centres for energy related business, employment and skills, with Hinckley as the foundation, and other initiatives based or renewable energy and technologies. This will mean the following key actions:

ENE1 Drive the maximum community and business benefit possible from any future large scale energy related development in the area

Future investment in Hinkley in particular will create significant opportunities for Sedgemoor businesses, and to capture wider community benefit. This could provide

62 4.4 Small Business Sectors Assets and opportunities

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63 Food and Drink Logistics The food and drink sector is one that is traditionally linked with Somerset accounting for The Draft PPS4 promotes the identification, protection and promotion of key 5.7% of total Somerset employment and £434 million of the county’s GVA in 1999. distribution networks, and the location or co-location of developments which generate Somerset also provided almost 16% of regional employment in this sector. This sector substantial freight movements in such a way as to minimise carbon emissions. Such will continue to be important to Somerset’s economy, although large scale low value networks and development should be in sustainability sited locations, so as to avoid added production may be vulnerable in the future. Key issues include moving congestion and to preserve local amenity interests as far as possible whilst ensuring production up the value chain, developing local branding and increasing exports to accessibility (including to rail and water transport where feasible). Sedgemoor is ideally other UK regions and overseas. placed in this respect. Sedgemoor has a range of food and drink businesses from the very large (Gerbers, There is therefore a real opportunity for Sedgemoor to be seen as the regional Wisemans, Yeo Valley) to the niche artisan enterprise. The latter is of particular distribution hub, which will also support the site provision and inward investment work importance in the rural areas of the District and initiatives developed by Somerset Food set out earlier in the Strategy. The Logistics Sector faces needs to move away from Links will continue to be important in supporting the growth of the small food and drink the ad hoc purchasing of training (usually to stay legal) and towards establishing a business. culture of Continuous Professional Development. Creative / Media This in turn requires a training supply side committed to building long term partnerships In relation to the creative sector, Somerset has obvious strengths, although the major with employers that support and sustain a learning culture, rather than short term cluster is in Bristol, which has a rapidly growing creative sector with particular arrangements based on the retailing of training products. Logistics employers need strengths in knowledge intensive sub sectors such as digital media and high profile access to training suppliers who can understand and interpret logistics business needs enterprises such as Aardman. Sedgemoor’s proximity to the dynamic Bristol economy, and deliver training relevant to the sector which addresses business needs. could provide significant opportunities, both in terms of attracting businesses to relocate and in growing small supply chain businesses that could benefit from lower Business Services rental costs but excellent Broadband provision

Recent trends show a significant increase in the number of workplaces and people The provision of appropriate studio and office space, the high quality training provided employed in business and financial services in the District., and this sector now by Bridgwater College, and targeted business support has the potential to increase matches manufacturing in terms of employment (while jobs in this sector tend to be creative and media related employment in Sedgemoor. This needs to be linked in to higher value and higher skilled). Businesses in this sector have very different County wide support and build upon the cultural assets of the district, particularly visual requirements in terms of workspace and this will need to be reflected in the provision of arts and craft makers and the Engine Room community media centre which is sites. Sedgemoor currently has a limited and comparatively poor quality supply of office emerging as a centre of excellence for community and commercial film making. accommodation when compared to competitor locations. Although there will be variations in the form of accommodation required, offices will be a core element of Environmental goods and services required supply to support the growth of this sector. The environmental technology sector covers a wide range of activity which tends to be New office development will be provided in purpose built office locations that can offer innovative, knowledge intensive and highly productive. The Arthur D little report on appropriate accommodation in an attractive and accessible setting. Changing sectors in the South West, for instance found that GVA per head in this sector was one perceptions of Sedgemoor will be important to promoting the further growth of the of the highest. This sector has been identified as one of the key growth sectors for the business services sector and reducing the dominance of views of Sedgemoor as an region in the Regional Economic Strategy, and it has particular growth potential, mainly industrial rather than professional, office based employment location. A series of sites liked to the energy sector. have been identified to offer this potential and will be promoted for such uses through the planning system, linked to delivery against economic objectives. The current ERDF Competitiveness Operational Programme, which runs until 2013 has identified environmental goods and services as the priority sector for supply and demand side investment, and there is substantial scope to access some external funding to take forward interventions to support local companies in the District. This is

64 an area where Sedgemoor has the potential to establish a reputation for excellence, This work will include encouraging local organisations such as Bridgwater College to linking with broader aims and its position at the “forefront of climate change”. become involved in supporting new networks, in areas where they have particular expertise. New initiatives will seek to use the ERDF funds to provide seed corn funding Strategic Actions: for networks linked to environmental, innovation and technology objectives.

S1 Produce detailed action plans for Creative Industries, Environmental S3 Ensure that quality land is made available to meet the objectives of Technologies, Food & Drink Sedgemoor becoming the regional logistics hub

The development of Actions Plans for a number of key sectors will accelerate their Sedgemoor has the opportunity to become the regional logistics hub for the South development and further increase in employment in Sedgemoor, helping to reduce West, providing a sustainable location for logistics activity, and further increasing dependency on large companies. The Action Plans will be focussed on sectors with employment in this key sector. The development of a genuine regional logistics hub growth potential and a high proportion of micro and small businesses. will require the availability an employment land on a scale suitable to the needs of The Actions Plans will feature proposals and actions with regard to premises and major distributors. incubation facilities; targeted business support; and skills support. The emphasis will be on ensuring that key agencies such as Learning and Skills Council and Business The development of the logistics hub will be accompanied by actions to embed the Link pro-actively support local businesses. The Action Plans will complement and not benefits in the local economy, supply chain linkages for smaller, local companies, and compete with established sub regional initiatives, particularly those supported by the bespoke recruitment and training support to meet the needs of new investors. Regional Development Agency. Where appropriate the Action Plans will identify gaps in facilities and provision and seek to develop partnerships to address constraints, S4 Logistic Skills Academy using a variety of funding. In the case of the food and drink sector this work should build upon the work being undertaken to understand the needs of the sector at County Linked to the development a Regional Logistics Hub there is an opportunity to develop level. a Logistics Skills Academy supported by the key skills agencies, including the LSC. The Logistics Skills Academy would include basic and intermediate training for those The Council will lead on the development of Action Plans in consultation with the entering the industry, as well as advanced training, attracting students and managers business community and, where possible, will seek to foster business led groups to from across the region and beyond. take forward key initiatives, such as promoting Train to Gain and Apprenticeships (see below). The Logistics Skills Academy would be a major factor in attracting higher order logistics activities to the region, re-enforcing the Regional Logistics Hub and its attractiveness to national and international companies. S2 Facilitate collaborative working through the sectors, and encourage sector-based networks to aid support between businesses Collaborative working is an important mechanism for allowing small businesses to expand in a planned manner, allowing groups of companies to both bid for larger contracts, learn from each other and develop solutions to common problems. In the medium term the objective is that Sedgemoor will be recognised for the strength of its business networks.

The Council will

• Play a leading role in initiating and mentoring new niche and sectoral business networks, within the framework of existing small business representative organisations; • seek to work with the RDA, Learning and Skills Council, Business Link to establish sustainable business groups, run by the business community.

65 4.5 Tourism The tourism resource is a particularly rich and varied one ranging from the “traditional” The issue seaside town at Burnham-on-Sea, with the neighbouring resorts of Brean and Berrow, to the Quantock Hills and Mendip Hills Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. In Sedgemoor’s tourism industry has remained robust and maintained a significant addition the Levels and Moors area, which covers significant parts of the District, is an economic presence. In part this is due to a particularly diverse tourism offer and its outstandingly rich and fragile wetlands habitat, famous for wildlife, the willow industry accessibility, especially when compared with some if its competitor destinations which and a unique cultural heritage. The Levels offer significant and numerous opportunities are further from main population centres. Burnham-on-Sea and Brean offer a high for quiet recreation and activity based leisure, complemented by the many attractive volume coastal product while the Quantocks and Levels and Moors offer a more niche villages which lie along the Polden Hills. short break product. The potential for low cost airlines to contract in the future, given higher energy prices and less disposable income, means that there are opportunities Many of the particular opportunities that this rich landscape provide for the to develop the tourism market further – perhaps offering an alternative to other parts of development of a model of sustainable tourism, linking the landscape with a range of the region that may be less accessible. environmental products and building on the existing initiatives around local food and drink, are discussed earlier. The accessibility of the area is also a key asset, offering a While tourism numbers are significant (2.7 million over night stays and 2.2 million day distinctive experience, competitive with areas further west, but much closer to major visitors in 2003) one weakness of the current offer, particularly for the majority of population centres. With the increase in fuel prices and more awareness of the “carbon visitors to the coastal strip, is the lack of an indoor offer, apart from Cheddar Caves. impact” of holidays, Sedgemoor could position itself as the location for high quality environment -based breaks. In order to maintain its healthy market share, investment is needed both in terms of the quality of the product itself (although the ongoing work by many tourism operators n With the ongoing decline in the availability of cheap air travel, and the (perhaps short this regard is recognised) and in the range of attractions on offer. Competition in the term) economic slowdown meaning the reduction in short breaks taken abroad, the industry is expected to increase as pressure on discretionary expenditure increases. opportunities for coastal resorts to benefit are significant. However, competition will be intense to increase market share. While Brean is a popular holiday destination there is agreement that investment is required to ensure that it remains competitive and provides a modern tourism product High profile events can act as a significant draw and extend the season. One of the and appropriate visitor infrastructure in the future. Stages of the Tour of Britain Cycle race was held in Sedgemoor in 2008, and this will both have raised the profile of the District (and Burnham in particular) but also brought Assets and opportunities visitors directly. With its excellent transport connections this could be a part of the market to exploit in the future. Sedgemoor District Council adopted its first Tourism Strategy in 1993, providing a framework for the industry until 2000. A revised strategy was produced in 2003 There are opportunities to bring tourism and other businesses together in the Brean covering the next five years. The vision for tourism in the district is to “optimise the area to develop a Master plan covering infrastructure and integrated design issues that potential of Sedgemoor as a quality visitor destination, providing opportunities for the will enable it to remain competitive. To this end engaging with businesses through local community, whilst making use of our local resources and special nature”. Under initiatives such as the establishment of a Business Improvement District (BID) may be this vision sat a number of objectives, all of which are relevant today: appropriate. BIDs are precisely defined geographical areas within which the businesses have voted to invest collectively in local improvements to enhance their • Ensure effective marketing and promotion of the area, reflecting Sedgemoor’s trading environment. special qualities; • Enhance and protect the natural and built environment for both local residents BIDs do not affect the level or quality of service provided by the local authority to the and visitors; area. A BID is initiated, financed and led by the commercial sector, providing additional • Enable high quality visitor experience and encourage repeat visits; or improved services as identified and requested by local businesses, to the baseline • Improve and maintain the quality of life and choice for local communities; services provided by the local authority in that area. • Bring year-round economic benefit to the area; and • Work to support existing and new tourism businesses, helping them to thrive Sedgemoor District Council is currently represented on the Somerset Tourism and develop, so ensuring a vibrant and diverse tourism industry. Partnership. The STP exists to improve destination management and marketing in Somerset for the benefit of tourism businesses, residents and visitors. 66 Given the diversity of the area and the outstanding rural environment, signage is The partnership has the ultimate objective of making tourism delivery more effective in important in both attracting people off of the main highways (often driving through to the future and is working towards setting up a Destination Management Organisation Devon and Cornwall) and helping visitors move between the Hills and the smaller for the whole of Somerset. This concept is not new, and has been successfully settlements. This is an expositive activity and the Council need to work with other implemented elsewhere in England, and indeed in other South West locations. agencies, such as the National Trust, AONBs and the private sector to continue to up- Currently partners have agreed in principle to the setting up of a county wide DMO and grade signage. this should be in place shortly. Accompanying signage is the need to ensure that information is easily available to Sedgemoor will need to play a full and active role in this partnership in order to ensure visitors. This is especially true for Sedgemoor where many of the attractions are by that it successfully promotes its tourism-related assets. their nature small scale, with limited marketing budgets. The provision of electronic information needs to be further developed, while the more personal touch available at Strategic Actions TICs needs to be supported

T1 Take a lead role in the Somerset Tourism Partnership to ensure that it T4 Work with local businesses to investigate the development of a reflects the particular offer of the District Business Improvement District

The Council needs to take a leading role in the Somerset Tourism Partnership, BIDs have been stimulated by a combination of issues affecting businesses, including including senior officer time, and encourage local businesses to take part in the need for environmental improvements, problems of crime and safety and a need to partnership led initiatives. The work of the Somerset Tourism Partnership will be attract more visitors and customers to the areas concerned. The vast majority of local important in promoting the County as a tourism destination on a par with Devon and authorities in areas where BIDs have developed have policies in support of their Cornwall. With a coastal and environmental tourism offer of exceptional quality, it is establishment. The establishment of BIDs can prove helpful in supporting the important that these assets are fully reflected in the approach taken by the Partnership development of more effective relationships between local authorities and businesses. to increasing visitor numbers and further developing niche markets. BIDs can provide a mechanism to draw together businesses with a common interest, and provide an interface that would not normally be possible, especially where T2 Attract high quality national events to Sedgemoor, particularly where business representative structures have previously been less effective. they complement the unique product, and where they will attract off season visitors The Council will adopt a policy in support of the establishment of BIDs where they have local support and undertake an assessment of business views in relation to the The benefits of events to local tourism are well documented and a number of locations establishment of a BID. now have a year long events programme with events of national significance covering Sedgemoor has a pressing need to capture more visitors passing through the County, music, arts and culture. Sedgemoor is ideally placed to host major events, with a large and hold those who do visit for longer by making information available on the many accommodation base, particularly for events outside of the core season. smaller and high quality attractions. The combination of improved signage and high Although this market is very competitive, there is potential for the Council to: quality information will make an important contribution to maintaining and increasing visitor numbers. • work with tourism businesses to further promote Sedgemoor as an events location. Events can also play a role in changing perceptions of the district, T4 Continued membership of the Somerset Tourism Partnership and the focus should be on high quality events and outdoor events, especially those with a water or environmental theme. The Council’s membership of the partnership has helped to sustain levels of delivery amidst rationalised resources. Continued membership will allow the council to T3 Improve the signage and information within the district maintain its representation at county level, essential given the importance of the tourism sector to the district, and further sustain delivery. There is a need to make it easier to find out what is going on in Sedgemoor and to navigate around the main tourism centres and the rural areas. The Council has a leading role to play in both of these areas.

67 4.6 Business Productivity in the market, and provide digital infrastructure critical to competitiveness and productivity. The Issue Strategic Actions Sedgemoor’s significant traditional business sectors show a tendency towards less knowledge intensive areas, with tourism and construction being areas of recent P1 High Growth Support growth. These are also sectors that tend to be less productive per capita. There are a number of high growth programmes operating regionally and sub While Sedgemoor has a number of larger businesses, especially in manufacturing and regionally, and the Council has a role to play in promoting these to companies in the logistics, the business base is dominated by micro-enterprises, employing less than 10 district. There are likely to be a number of undiscovered and outstanding people. This is a similar profile to the rest of the County and the region and reflects the entrepreneurs in Sedgemoor, some of which are in sectors and niches not prioritised predomination of small businesses outside the larger settlements and the local for support. It is important that entrepreneurial talent is directed to high quality importance of sectors such as agriculture and tourism. This prevalence of smaller business support programme to accelerate growth. workplaces and employers may present particular challenges; for instance smaller employers may find it more difficult to meet the costs of up-skilling their workforce to meet future skills needs. In a number of cases business will require high level of support, such as access to venture capital, not available locally or through Business Link support. Identifying high Assets and opportunity growth support and targeting those Sedgemoor companies with the potential to benefit will be an important activity in accelerating the growth of business talent. The Council Business productivity is the central focus of Business Link with a range of actions will therefore: outlined in the Local Area Agreement including: • Champion, promote and signpost companies to regional high growth support programmes, including those aimed at unlocking entrepreneurial potential • Improve and expand business start-up provision; across all sectors; • Target businesses who have already been operating for a year or two who • Work with partners to identify relevant provision (such as Venture capital) have growth potential; where it is needed. • Supply specialist advisors to help businesses move over the VAT and PAYE threshold; • Provide training and other support resources to enable this to happen; P2 Input to the further development of social enterprise support • Provide businesses with vouchers to enable them to access the support they need; and The social enterprise model is one that is particularly appropriate for some • Tap into the expanding 50+ employee market and encourage skills sharing communities and individuals across the District and these new opportunities need to with new businesses Business Link. be promoted with the context of the regional social enterprise support, delivered through CoActive. The social enterprise model, which is frequently misunderstood, is These actions will make a major contribution to increasing productivity and profitability relevant to rural areas, and non commercial local services. across the business base in Sedgemoor. Business Link have been continually refining The Council will: their service provision to increase the impact of the support provided to companies. • Work with CoActive to ensure that the potential to develop new social The Economic Strategy has prioritised the development of Actions Plans for Creative enterprises, and support existing, is understood and integrated into Industries, Environmental Technologies, Food & Drink. These sectors have “mainstream” provision, and initiativessuchasthe“StartinginSocial considerable growth potential in the South West and a high proportion of jobs are Enterprise” programme is promoted within the District. higher skilled. These sectors also have an important role to play in promoting Sedgemoor and changing perceptions of Somerset. Logistics, manufacturing and P3 Work with the Connecting Somerset partnership to increase level and tourism have also been prioritised in the Economic Strategy. The focus on productivity rates of e-adoption by Sedgemoor businesses led growth is on those gaps where companies and sectors have the potential to maintain increase employment levels, develop new enterprise models which fill a gap Somerset has a justified reputation as being at the cutting edge of Broadband provision across rural areas. ICT provision (including high speed Broadband) will 68 continue to be an essential part of the District’s offer to assist the growth of small businesses, especially those based in rural areas. The Council has an important role to play in ensuring wider bandwidth is provided to parts if not all of the district, and that solutions are found for hose parts of the district where provision is weak. This may include developing e-centres or hubs where the commercial provision broadband to every household is not possible.

69 UIESTEE-LINKAGES - THEME BUSINESS

70 EIEYADPROMNEMANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE AND DELIVERY

71 PRIORITIES AND DELIVERY

It will be important for the Council to carefully prioritise the actions outlined in this section based on the severity of the issues in question, the resources required to address each issue and the timescale in which it is sensible to deliver (given the status of potential delivery mechanisms and the relative availability of potential funding sources). The table below outlines the severity of some of the issues raised within the Strategy in order to aid this process. The table outlines the following issues as being of high priority:

• Low skills levels in the workforce • Below average educational attainment • Pockets of multiple deprivation and lack of aspiration in some communities • Negative perception of Sedgemoor / Bridgwater • Physical constraints on development • Poor quality of town centres (including retail offer)

ISSUE EVIDENCE SEVERITY Low skills levels in ONS (Office of National Statistics) Annual population survey shows High the workforce that Sedgemoor has a high proportion of its working age population The figures for Sedgemoor are higher than the rest of the County and the impact with no or low qualifications and less with higher level skills. of this will be restricted business growth, a deterrent to inward investment and Feedback from businesses is that there are particular skills local people becoming excluded from the labour market. This would then shortages, including in relation to technical trades skills. contribute to the issues of cyclical income driven deprivation in some communities and increased in-commuting. Below average DCSF (Dept for Children, Schools and Families) figures show the High educational lowest % of children gaining 5 good GCSEs (Key Stage 4) in Bridgwater schools in particular perform very badly in terms of educational attainment Somerset, and well behind the national figure. At Key Stage 2 attainment (although they do better if social issues related to intake are taken into Sedgemoor has also begun to lag behind, its rate of improvement in account). Failure to address this issue will lead to deepened economic social relation to maths in particular being half of some other Districts. exclusion in already vulnerable neighbourhoods. . Four Bridgwater secondary schools are identified in the Government’s National Challenge for the schools with the lowest attainment rates nationally. Pockets of multiple Although average as a District as a whole, IMD (Indices of Multiple High deprivation and lack Deprivation) statistics show Bridgwater is one of the most The most deprived wards in Somerset are in Bridgwater. Without concerted, long of aspiration in disadvantaged areas in Somerset with Sydenham and Hamp term action to address these issues in an integrated holistic fashion (including some communities perform particularly poorly. addressing the issues above) any economic growth and wider regeneration will Aspiration as an issue has been raised throughout the consultation fail to benefit a number of communities. process, and was also a highlighted issue in the Sedgemoor visioning exercise. Negative perception This has been an underlying theme through the consultation process High of Sedgemoor / and was raised as a key issue in the Sedgemoor Economic Although Into Somerset has identified issues around the perceptions of the Bridgwater Visioning exercise. County as a whole (perceptions are of a good quality of life, rather than a place that is business friendly) there are deeper challenges in relation to Sedgemoor and Bridgwater in particular (including internally) to reposition and rebrand the town economically, and to reinforce its role and potential economic position in the region.

72 Physical constraints Recent years have seen significant competition for land between High on development employment and housing uses. In excess of 18ha of employment There is a need to identify a deliverable employment land portfolio to enable the land has been lost to housing use or is currently being considered district to satisfy its economic objectives and RSS targets. Sedgemoor’s for residential development since the Local Plan was adopted in employment land allocation has reduced from 95ha in the Local Plan to 54ha in 2004. the RSS. Where sites remain for development, flood risk represents a In terms of flood risk (and based on the Environment Agency’s flood maps) challenge to development. Sedgemoor has a high proportion of its Sedgemoor has the highest proportion of its area at risk of flooding in the County, area within areas defined as at moderate or significant risk of including several development sites. This will be an important consideration in site flooding (this will be refined in more detail with the results of allocation and development. The Highways Agency have identified concerns regarding the capacity of transport / highways infrastructure and ongoing consultation with the utilities providers is required to ensure that the scale of development proposed can be accommodated on priority sites, whether for employment of housing development.

Poor quality of town Sedgemoor’s centres currently report high levels of expenditure High centres (including leakage to surrounding towns and centres with stronger retail offers. With forecast population growth and unmet comparison retail capacity there is an retail offer) Competition for trade is high and recent investment in schemes such opportunity to capture investment in town centres and particularly in Bridgwater. as Princesshay in Exeter and planned investment in Taunton has Without investment there is a serious concern that trading continues in Bridgwater increased competition further. Clarks Village in Street and Cribbs and the vibrancy of the town centre will continue to decline. Causeway are also competitors. Bridgwater’s market position is This will undermine inward investment potential and will not help any business declining. Retail rateable values in Bridgwater are now (2007) 70% case for business investment in the town. of those in Taunton, down from 76% in 1998. Retail capacity work shows that Bridgwater has £76.02m of unmet comparison expenditure/ floorspace capacity up to 2016 that could be catered for within the town centre. As well as retail development the town centre offers potential to accommodate a greater range of leisure uses.

Pockets of The LAA figure is of 10.33% (2007) of working age people on out of Medium worklessness work benefits, compared with the County level figure of 8.96% The severity of this issue in relation to Sedgemoor is underlined by the core LAA (particularly IB) (2006). target of a 1.5% reduction in the number of people of working age on out of work Connexions figures show that while NEET (Not in Education benefits for the District with Sedgemoor having been identified as a priority area Employment, or Training) numbers overall are low (due to the for action. The LAA process is requiring Sedgemoor to establish an Employment college), several Bridgwater wards have high numbers of young and Skills Task Force for the District to focus on the five key LAA skills and people not in education, employment or training. worklessness issues and to lead and manage a coordinated programme to deliver NOMIS data shows that while there had been a 3% decreases in the targets. female claimants between 2002 and 2006, the numbers of male (Whilst terms of reference and a draft membership has been established no claimants rose by 5%. resources have been allocated to implement this and is subject to a separate 73 There was a 22% increase in Incapacity Benefit claimants in the 35- funding report to Executive in October). 44 age group between 2002 and 2006 (although a 6% decrease overall). There was a 19% increase in Job Seekers Allowance claimants in the under 25 age group in the same timescale (balanced by a 25% decrease in the 25-34 demograph. Rural economic Sedgemoor is classified as an “area of poor rural economic Medium underperformance performance” in the SW Rural Delivery Framework Sedgemoor shares the issues felt by many rural areas. However, the evidence does not point to these issues being any more severe that in other comparative areas. Low wages Average workplace based earnings are £2,500 lower than the Medium regional picture, and this disparity is more marked for men where The gap between County level and Sedgemoor wage rates is less extreme (the average earnings are over £3,000 less than the region. regional figure will be distorted by higher wages in Bristol and the east, Swindon etc) and the house price to wages ratio is lower (as of 2007) than the County. Access to services This was raised strongly through the consultation. IMD data shows Low and housing in rural that there are 8 LSOAs (Lower Super Output Areas) in the bottom While this is an issue for concern, it is perhaps not as severe as others. Rural areas 10% nationally, with Wedmore and Mark being the 577th most areas typically show up within IMD data as deprived in relation to access to deprived area against this specific indicator in the country services and in comparison with other parts of the County and the region, Sedgemoor fares far better (for instance there are a number of neighbourhoods in rural Devon that are in the worst 1% nationally) . However these issues are still a concern and there are some specific issues (transport and affordable housing) where action needs to be maintained and it will be necessary to ensure existing services are maintained and improved where possible to increase the vitality of rural communities.

74 ACTION PLAN

The specifics of the delivery plan will be decided upon in conjunction with the council following feedback on the ED Strategy resourcing from the Executive.

Leadership

ACTION TIMESCALE LEAD PARTNER / SERVICE ROLE OF SDC Resources PROGRESS AND RELEVANT NATIONAL OR LOCAL INDICATORS

L1 – Economic Development Impact From 1.4.0.9 SDC – Strategy and Business Leadership, technical Resource dependent to Democratic services have Assessment Services evaluation, cultural change embed across organisation amended report template to and to support colleagues. integrate assessment into Council monitoring of council policy and decision employment land. Limited external technical making. support funded from base Local Area Agreement (LAA) budget – EKOS. Ekos instructed. implementation. Action planning for LAA to Integration of knowledge specific resource demands. economy indicator and actions. Development management. County / District economic assessment Annual Monitoring Report.

L2 – Establish a Business Ambassador / From 1.4.09 SDC – Strategy and Business Leadership and cultural change Existing resources. E&CI officer to action. champion in each service Services Coordinator - Economic and Creative Industries Officer Development of service ‘offer’ (E&CI officer). for business customers.

L3 – Continually set a positive example as Immediate effect SDC – Support Services Leadership and promotion. Existing in Human Skills Pledge signed. an exemplar employer: Resources and Training with Skills Pledge support from Economic and Careers Fairs underway. Careers Fairs Creative Industries Officer (E&CI officer). Local Employment Partnership

L4 –Play an active role in economic and Immediate effect SDC - Regeneration Leadership and influencing Through Planning Employment and Skills Charter social partnerships and provide a Directorate Performance Agreement for agreed. leadership role in those partnerships where Employment and Skills Charter New Nuclear. the Council is the senior stakeholder as Local Labour Agreement. Draft charter for NE Bridgwater. LABGI funds for one year for Into Somerset major projects and Integration of skills development into nuclear technical Somerset Tourism Partnership employment and skills coordinator to deliver LAA 75 (STP) requirements. processes. On-going resource Portfolio Holder Chair of Trust. requirements to be agreed Bridgwater Education Trust / for 2010-11. Energy Skills Centre land Building Schools for the Future agreement. Into Somerset and STP progressing. Energy Skills Centre

L5 Secure new public sector investment in Immediate effect SDC – Strategy and Business Leadership, influencing and Existing capacity limited and External Funding Strategy in Sedgemoor to allow the District to Services negotiation. focus on highest strategic place. contribute to regional and national funding sources only, and as economic objectives • Building Schools for the other priorities allow. Future.

• Hospital. • Energy Skills Centre • Transport investment • Housing investment

Place

ACTION TIMESCALE LEAD PARTNER / SERVICE ROLE OF SDC RESOURCES RELEVANT NATIONAL INIDICATORS

BR1 Prepare a Bridgwater Strategic November 08 – SDC - Strategy and Business Leadership and technical Existing, partner time, and Process on track. Framework for Place Transformation and September 09 Services direction. SWRDA funds. Regeneration, including the delivery of the Baseline, options, preferred Parrett Barrier Translate Regional spatial strategy and urban framework strategy into local complete. development plans. Final sign off due in Autumn 09. Creating a vision and developing a competitive edge. Stimulating the knowledge economy. Encouraging business investment and re- investment. Funding mechanism for

76 barrier.

BR2 Develop a Town Centre Business Defer until 2010/11 SDC - Strategy and Business Leadership and Resource dependant. No action planned. Plan on completion of Services transformation above

BR3 Establish The Bridgwater Hub Immediate Effect SDC - Strategy and Business Priority – delivery of NE Resource dependent – Potential within current Services Bridgwater. possible integration to NE application. Bridgwater.

Group Manager/ Major Projects Officer.

BR4 Promote Bridgwater as a location Immediate Effect SDC - Strategy and Business Clienting of Into Somerset Mainstream action - use Service Manager Business for high value added and service based micro Services Ltd and Somerset Tourism limited hours from existing Support and E&CI officer and small businesses Partnership resources .

Provision of material Key officers- : Allocation of land for deliver Service Manager – Business Services and Tourism. Support through Business Link Economic and Creative Industries Officer (E&CI Responding to developer/ Officer) investor inquiries Service Manager -Policy

BR5 Support Bridgwater College to Immediate Effect SDC - – Strategy and Business Evaluating planning Group Manager – Strategy Energy Skills Centre project expand its further and higher education offer Services. applications. and Business Services development underway. and prioritise the integration of new facilities with the Town Centre Supporting Somerset university project. Involving the college in strategy implementation and national infrastructure proposals and allied developments e.g. energy skills centre.

BR6 Promote Bridgwater as a location Defer. SDC - – Strategy and Business Events organisation and Capacity removed during No marketing action planned. for sports, cultural and festival activities and Services. planning 08/09 to action this. other events such as farmers markets which Leisure strategy being initiated will bring new visitors to the town Marketing and impacts and potential of national infrastructure projects Press releases Limited existing resources in being considered as part of corporate public relations work programme. Town centre use for markets and leisure service but already committed. 77 Leisure strategy Existing resources for Fair. Markets – through E& CI Officer and Valuer. Group Managers – Strategy and Leisure

BR7 Support delivery of RSS growth Immediate Effect SDC - – Strategy and Business Local development Existing resources. LDF project plan and work targets and delivery against Housing and Services. framework programme. Economic Strategy objectives Bridgwater Challenge. Economic strategy.

BS 1 Support the attraction of Sea Unsuccessful. SDC - Regeneration Service. Explore other funding. Resource dependant. Socio-economic workstream for Change funding to implement public realm nuclear. improvements in Burnham on Sea Group Manager – Strategy to explore links to nuclear proposals.

BS 2 Promote retail uses in the high April 09 SDC Strategy and Business Complete retail assessment Proactive capacity limited. LDF programme. street, reducing non-retail uses where Services- retail assessment f or to inform LDF. possible, potentially through provision of District. Town Centre Manager role alternative new build office Support strategy and removed 08 /09. proposals which are consistent. Policy team role through LDF and retail study. Development management role.

BS 3 Investigate potential for Defer SDC - – Strategy and Business Feasibility Resource Dependent. No action planned. development of the wind surfing / kite surfing Services / Burnham Tourist market Information Centre Exploration with customers, industry.

BS 4 Support the preparation of a private sector led masterplan for Brean and Berrow Defer SDC - – Strategy and Business Masterplanning and Resource dependent. No action planned. and investigate the establishment of a Services technical studies to inform Business Investment District delivery vehicle LDF. to bring forward regeneration and growth proposals for the area.

R1 Ensure an enabling planning Immediate effect SDC - – Strategy and Business Through LDF. Existing resources in policy LDF programme. framework that encourages small scale Services team. conversions / redundant buildings for 78 economic use

R2 Work with partners to ensure From 1.4.09 Connecting Somerset / SDC - – Through masterplanning and Resource dependent. Embed into existing processes Broadband enablement and bandwidth meets Strategy and Business Services development management such as LDF programme, the needs of modern knowledge intensive e.g. North East Bridgwater socio-economic work for businesses in rural areas nuclear and through influencing Through LDF. Joint working to be maximised with SCC. development proposals. Through joint work to implement Connecting Somerset programme. To link to development of a more significant knowledge economy in Sedgemoor.

R3 Develop a network of village / Defer. SDC - – Strategy and Business Proactive work in rural Resource dependent. LDF programme. community based enterprise hubs with Services and Regeneration areas. associated enterprise support provision that services. benefits rural businesses Linked to Connecting Somerset programme, and Some policy support through business support the LDF process and programme. possibly though LARC.

Consider as part of LARC. Consider as part of socio- economic workstream for new nuclear proposals.

ST1 To provide leadership in the Immediate effect. SDC - – Strategy and Business Leadership. Existing limited resources - Somerset Tourism Partnership. development of a dedicated partnership Services. Service Manager – Business approach to developing a new tourism Place marketing. Services and Tourism. product, involving tourism operators, food and Contribution to place Into Somerset. drink businesses and other relevant sectors shaping. Operational and delivery Customer care in our biggest capacity reduced on project. economic sector.

Proposals to reduce TIC funding and the work required to service this, will impact on the delivery of this action.

ST2 To work with partners to undertake Defer SDC - – Strategy and Business Leadership in place shaping Resource dependent. No action planned. 79 a feasibility study of a new sustainable Services. and economic growth. outdoor activity based centre, linked to the natural environment and the hub for a network of water based, and multi use trails Feasibility and scoping of potential concepts and locations.

IM 1 To work with County and regional Immediate effect. SDC - – Strategy and Business Strategic Place marketing Into Somerset Ltd. Into Somerset. partners to create a strong, identifiable brand Services. with partners. Clienting is resource based on Sedgemoor’s competitive dependent but limited input advantages, within the context of the wider Raising investor confidence from Service Manager – County offer, clarifying and communicating its and interest. Business Services and economic role in region - as an economic Creating and maximising Tourism. engine room of Somerset, the new 'energy new opportunities. centre' in the region, and a growth point for Service Manager – new emerging industrial sectors - Business Support and environmental and energy based technologies Economic and Creative Industries Officer (E&CI officer)

E1 Establish Sedgemoor as a leading Defer SDC - – Strategy and Business Dealing with the threats of Proactivity is resource No action planned. authority on developing solutions to the local Services. climate change and flood dependent – need to work impact of climate change risk management. with SCC and other councils. Finding solutions.

E2 Establish Sedgemoor as a leading Defer SDC - – Strategy and Business Responding reactively to Proactivity is resource No action planned. authority in developing the potential of Services. opportunities. dependent – need to work environmental business opportunities with SCC and other councils.

80 People

ACTION TIMESCALE LEAD PARTNER / SERVICE ROLE OF SDC RESOURCES RELEVANT NATIONAL INIDICATORS

C1 Locality teams Immediate effect. Somerset County Council Regeneration Service to Existing. support.

Link in with Local Strategic Partnership and Community Safety brief.

C2 Pilot Young Advisors in Key Immediate Somerset County Council Regeneration Service to Existing. Neighbourhoods support.

Link in with Local Strategic Partnership and Community Safety brief.

C3 Pilot the Use of Local Charters To be agreed. Sedgemoor District Council Regeneration Service. Existing.

C4 Integrate Housing Services with Immediate. Sedgemoor District Council. Client for Homes in Sedgemoor. Existing. neighbourhood renewal Housing Strategy. Housing advice and provision . Benefits. Affordable housing delivery. Work in deprived neighbourhoods.

C5 Family Intervention Immediate. Somerset County Council. Community Safety. Existing.

C6 Monitor newly established multi- agency community centre and roll On going. SDC – Regeneration Service Victoria Centre. Existing. out best practice accordingly

AS1 To raise the aspiration and On going Somerset County Council / Strategy and Business and Resource dependent – some ambition of Sedgemoor’s young people Bridgwater Education Trust Regeneration Services to limited opportunities through support. existing processes. Participation in Building Schools 81 for the Future and the Trust. Promotion of opportunities through careers fairs. Integration into nuclear work programme. Employment and Skills Charter. Education Business Partnership Carnival Princes Trust

AS2 Evidence Based Policy and From April 09. Sedgemoor District Council Strategy and Business and Major Projects Officer and Targeting Regeneration Services. Employment and Skills Coordinator from September Employment and Skills group, 09 – 10. workshop and action planning. Resources to be agreed Development of work beyond that date. programme.

ED1 Raise educational attainment to Immediate Somerset County Council / Strategy and Business and Resource dependent via above national averages and use Bridgwater Education Trust Regeneration Services to SCC. schools as a catalyst for support neighbourhood regeneration

ED2 Promote diverse employment and Opportunistic Somerset County Council / Strategy and Business and As resources allow. career plans Bridgwater Education Trust Regeneration Services and Human Resource / training team to support

SK1 To expand the provision of FE Bridgwater College and Strategy and Business Services Existing capacity on limited and HE within the District, and ensure that Somerset University to work with college on strategic basis tied to priorities such this provision meets the needs of local Partnership Project. plans and operational delivery as energy and logistics business, both now and in emerging with key sectors / businesses. sectors. knowledge driven sectors Nuclear project.

SK2 To raise employee / workforce Sedgemoor District Council Sedgemoor Community Major Projects Officer and skills and ensure that a skilled workforce is through the Employment and Workforce and Skills Employment and Skills a key driver of business productivity and Skills Task Force and Building Development Plan. Coordinator from September 82 competitiveness Schools for the Future Helping communities access 09 – 10. new opportunities via local labour agreements. Resources to be agreed beyond that date. Improving prospects for improving well being and economic prosperity through Leisure services. better employment. Tackling poor health of workforce through healthy lifestyles agenda.

Business

ACTION TIMESCALE LEAD PARTNER / SERVICE ROLE OF SDC RESOURCES RELEVANT NATIONAL INIDICATORS

BI1 Providing land for new LDF timeline SDC Production of LDF. Existing development and encouraging the redevelopment of existing brownfield land Allocation of Greenfield land for employment and policies to encourage reinvestment in brownfield land.

BI2 Grow Sedgemoor’s reputation On-going SDC / Connecting Somerset Marketing and PR. As capacity allows. within Somerset as a District with excellent access to ICT/broadband infrastructure Into Somerset. More detailed work with Connecting Somerset. Influencing new development proposals.

BI3 Increase access to Business 1.4..09 SDC / Somerset County Local Development LDF / Challenge -existing incubation, and grow-on space in the Council Framework. resources. District. Bridgwater Challenge. SCC Incubation study and bid. SCC – Business incubation. Explore potential links to 83 national infrastructure projects. Economic and Creative Industries officer. Through Business Link and local business networks.

BI4 Promote and enhance On- going SDC Communications. Existing. Sedgemoor’s ‘can do’ approach to business through excellent communication between Marketing and PR. Sedgemoor District Council, Somerset Into Somerset. County Council, businesses and service providers, including infrastructure providers Project work and through and development proposals.

BI5 Support the development of new Immediate SDC Strategy and Business Existing – NE Bridgwater and office accommodation within Bridgwater services – through policy Bridgwater Challenge. advice, LDF and Challenge processes.

MS1 Ensure that Sedgemoor From 1.4.09 Business Link To understand, communicate Existing - Economic and manufacturing businesses benefit from and sign post businesses to Creative Industries officer. BERR / Government initiatives. support services.

MS2 Develop a workforce with the skills From 1.4.09 SDC Employment and Skills Task Major Projects Officer and to support innovation and growth of “new” Force Employment and Skills knowledge intensive manufacturing Coordinator from September businesses. 09 – 10. Local Labour Agreements Resources to be agreed beyond that date. Focus on knowledge economy

MS3 Ensure an appropriate supply of Immediate SDC Database of sites. Existing resources sites and premises are available to support new and existing businesses establish and grow New sites through LDF.

MS4 Ensure that appropriate Immediate SDC / SCC Integrate as part of Bridgwater Existing limited resources infrastructure investment (particularly Challenge and major and some Bridgwater transport) is put in place to enable development proposals. Challenge RDA funds. businesses to operate efficiently and effectively LDF infrastructure plan. Evaluation of development proposals.

ENE1 Drive the maximum community From 1.4.09 SDC through Somerset Nuclear Somerset Nuclear Energy Some limited time from and business benefit possible from any existing resources but 84 future large scale energy related Energy Group Group. essentially resource development in the area. dependent via the planning Planning performance performance agreement from agreement. 9 July 09. Technical studies. Planning mitigation and community benefit. Local labour and procurement agreements. Inward investment proposals.

ENE2 Establish a high profile regional Reactive basis only SDC Land allocation through LDF. Potential links to ENE1 and energy cluster in the District and through LDF scope to secure foreign direct Respond to inward investment investment. requests. Some resource potential via Promote area for green collar planning performance investment as pro-active agreement. response to climate change and economic re-structuring. SCC – Waste proposals. Promote area for foreign direct Other issues investment in energy sector. resource dependent. Promote low carbon development proposals. Consider energy policies in LDF including scope for renewable and micro generation. Consider scope of Puriton as key site for low carbon energy and associated investments. Consider waste management related options.

S1 Produce detailed action plans for Defer. SDC Scope location and nature of Resource dependent Creative Industries, Environmental key sectors and consider how Technologies, Food & Drink they support wider tourism Via planning performance economy and supply chain. agreement on energy / environmental technologies.

Economic and Creative Industries Officer for creatives and food and drink plans.

85 S2 Facilitate collaborative working Defer. SDC / Chambers Networking and conferences. Economic and Creative through the sectors, and encourage sector- industries Officer. based networks to aid support between Economic leaders / officers. businesses Joint working with Business Link and other business organisations.

S3 Ensure that quality land is made LDF timeline. SDC Allocate land in Preferred and Existing limited resources. available to meet the objectives of Core strategies. Sedgemoor becoming the regional logistics hub

S4 Logistic Skills Academy Immediate. Bridgwater College. To support funding application Existing. to SWRDA To review application and comment.

T1 Take a lead role in the Somerset Immediate. SDC. Attendance at working Business Services and Tourism Partnership to ensure that it reflects meetings, production of Tourism Manager the particular offer of the District information and copy

T2 Attract high quality national events Defer. SDC. Organisation, planning and Capacity removed. to Sedgemoor, particularly where they management of events. complement the unique product, and where they will attract off season visitors

T3 Improve the signage and Defer. SCC. To inform and liaise with SCC Capacity removed. information within the district to improve signage to key locations to support tourism sector.

P1 High Growth Support Defer. SDC. Detailed liaison with key Explore links with national employers on growth plans infrastructure proposals. and operational issues. Business Link Evaluation of knowledge economy. Identification of high growth candidates with Business Link.

86 P2 Input to the further development of On going. Somerset County Council. Joint work on social Limited shared resource. social enterprise support enterprise.

P3 Work with the Connecting On going. Somerset County Council . Joint work on e-adoption, Somerset County Council Somerset partnership to increase level and promotion and communication rates of e-adoption by Sedgemoor to businesses. businesses Integration of IT infrastructure and the innovative design of new home / work spaces.

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Sedgemoor Economic Masterplan

Case Studies

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The Victoria Park Centre, Bridgwater Support Officers, the Credit Union and Bridgwater College (who provide a range of courses including adult numeracy and literacy, English for Speakers of Other The Victoria Centre is a purpose built, vibrant, attractive and sustainable Languages (ESOL) and basic I.T. classes). The centre also offers Family Support neighbourhood centre providing accommodation for a wide range of facilities and sessions where local people can work with an Early Years Learning Officer and a services1. The Centre is one of four pilot projects established under the PCT Health Trainer as well as access family support. In addition the Centre is ‘Sustainable Neighbourhood Centres’ arm of the RDA funded Building Communities strongly aligned with sustainable environmental principles. The high-quality initiative designed to tackle disadvantage, encourage partnership working, create buildings incorporate a number of low energy and green design features, to reduce community assets and promote sustainable construction. In this context the Victoria energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, compared to a standard Centre aims to improve mainstream services for the Victoria/Newtown Ward in building. Bridgwater, one of the most deprived wards in Sedgemoor. The Centre has the following objectives: As a pilot the Victoria Centre is a new venture for Sedgemoor and one that looks to be having considerable impact. It will therefore be important for the district to • To develop a new 'heart' for the deprived Victoria / Newtown community, monitor its impacts closely and consider carefully how lessons learnt can be rolled and a neighbourhood centre which local residents are proud of out for the benefit of its other deprived neighbourhoods. • To raise personal and employment aspirations through skills development • To support the achievement of higher educational attainment levels by disaffected young people • To develop innovative ways of delivering lifelong learning, training and education support

The Centre has developed in three phases:

• Phase 1 - A Children's Centre has provided a 45 place nursery with children's centre support services including early education and links with Job Centre Plus • Phase 2 – A Medical Centre with space for 3 GPs, together with a Pharmacy. • Phase 3 – A Community space and 100sq.m of workspace, including a Lifelong Learning Centre and IT suite. Other community spaces include a hall suitable for indoor community sports use, a family kitchen to support training activity, small rooms for one to one and small group activity, a police office and store and a café (awaiting completion).

The strength and success of the Centre lies in its multi-agency approach to service delivery – providing coordinated information, advice and guidance and signposting local people to appropriate services. Along with the doctor’s surgery and pharmacy, the Centre provides accommodation for Fire Safety Officers, Police Community

1 SWRDA – ‘Building Communities’ Pilot Projects

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Robert Wiseman Dairies

Robert Wiseman Dairies procures, produces and delivers liquid milk to customers throughout Great Britain. The company operates from seven major processing dairies and in recent years has expanded its business to become a major supplier of milk to many leading players within the food and drink sector, the company claims now to be ‘the leading liquid milk Company in Great Britain’.

In 2006 the company commenced construction of its new flagship dairy in Bridgwater. The £80million facility was built using green business principles and designed to be the most efficient and environmentally advanced fresh milk dairy in the world. The dairy was designed to reduce waste, energy consumption and use of materials and is located on a site that minimises transport costs and thereby reduces fuel consumption. Next to junction 24 of the M5, the dairy is not only close to the ‘milk field’ from which raw milk is supplied, but also well placed to transport the finished product to large population centres. As with its other dairies, Wiseman also makes the plastic bottles for its milk on the Bridgwater site, saving both the fuel and carbon footprint costs of having them transported from elsewhere. The company has already re-designed its bottles to use less plastic, saving 700 tonnes last year, which would have taken more than 9000 barrels of oil to produce.

These environmental savings are accompanied by considerable economic benefits. For example, the company has also built a water treatment plant on site, the first dairy in the UK to have one. The investment of £2.5m in the effluent treatment plant will save the group a net £400,000 per year and will produce water clean enough to wash its vehicles, rather than using mains supply, and provide irrigation for a large area of grass belonging to the new dairy’s neighbours – Bridgwater Cricket Club. The dairy is also part of a group-wide pledge to cut the amount of waste it sends to landfill to zero. In 2006 Wiseman produced 1000 tonnes of waste that had to go to landfill at a cost of £100,000. It expects to reach a 95 per cent recycling rate by early autumn 2008 and has found a market for waste plastic at £100 a tonne.

The dairy began processing in December 2007 and is already being operated at half capacity. The site has the infrastructure in place to move to full capacity when volumes build up. When fully completed the dairy, the last the group expects to build in the UK, will give Wiseman the capacity to produce 500m litres of milk a year at its Bridgwater site, almost 10% of the country’s fresh milk requirements.

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Bridgwater College Levels’ Best

Bridgwater College annually caters for nearly 20,000 full and part-time students and Selling the Levels was a five-year project that ended in March 2008. It focused on has a reputation both regionally and nationally as a very successful provider of working with farmers, growers and food producers across the Somerset Levels and education, training and leisure courses. The College offers an extensive curriculum Moors to help them add value to their products, seek and secure new markets and of full and part-time courses for school leavers, adults, university level students, the formulate the infrastructure to support those markets. business community and students from overseas. In the final year of the project all the activities culminated in the landscape branding The College has a strong reputation for teaching and prides itself on its 'Inclusive Levels' Best. This branding is drawing together all the food and drink producers with Learning' policy which guides its strong and innovative approach to teaching and local retailers and hospitality providers to create a sustainable supply chain as well learning. This approach was highlighted in the College’s last inspection by Ofsted as a network that will improve communications and the marketing and distribution of (Office for Standards in Education) and the ALI (Adult Learning Inspectorate) in all Levels' Best products across the Levels and Moors and beyond. 2002. The outcome was a report from inspectors which confirmed the College's work to be of outstanding quality and the College to be one of the best in the Levels' Best is the collective trade mark for food and drink that is produced to quality country. Key highlights included: standards within the wetland landscape known as the Somerset Levels and Moors. The total area is approximately 260 sq miles encompassing 114 parishes. This • 87% of lessons observed were graded as "outstanding" or "good" - the trade mark is registered and is governed by quality standards that embrace second best achievement nationally in that cycle of Ofsted inspections environmental land management, animal welfare, English native breeds and the and fourth best ever awarded in the history of inspections of more than provenance of the Somerset Levels and Moors. 400 colleges (including inspections by the former FEFC). • "Outstanding" grades awarded for the quality of teaching and the Farmers, growers and producers of food and drink are the Members of Levels' Best. achievement of students in 8 of the 15 curriculum areas and "good" in They supply the hospitality providers (pubs and inns, restaurants, hotels and guest the other 7. Leadership and Management were also graded houses, tea rooms and cafes and B&Bs) as well as retail outlets (farm shops, "outstanding". markets, online sales, etc.) that are Associate Members of Levels' Best.

Bridgwater College also works closely with local employers in relation to their Levels' Best has a three-year business and marketing plan to support a thriving training needs and its provision contributes strongly to the long term economic network of Levels' Best producers and businesses in their supply chain to increase growth of the area. The College enjoys long-standing partnerships with the economic returns through the supply, marketing and distribution of Levels' Best food business community and currently has four Centres of Vocational Excellence and drink. (CoVEs) in Residential Care, Tourism and Hospitality, Automotive Engineering and Early Years. The CoVE programme is financed and run by the Learning and Skills Council and was set up in 2001 to encourage further education colleges to develop vocational specialisms and become more closely involved with local businesses. CoVe status illustrates the commitment of the college to working with the business community in order to meet business training needs, delivering up-to-date training which is flexible and demand-led.

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Musgrove Willows AM Sensors Limited

Arthur ‘Sam’ Musgrove started Musgrove Willows in Lakewall, Westonzoyland AM Sensors is a regional leader in the design, manufacture, maintenance and during the 1930s by buying in Black Maul willow from local auctions and cutting tree supply of Instrumentation, Control Products and Systems. The company was sticks for furniture. Today, Musgrove Willows is run by Sam’s Grandson Michael, founded in 1999 and has grown steadily over the past nine years. The company’s his wife Ellen and son Jack with 3 fulltime staff. Michael, at 39, is now the youngest success lies in the experience of its staff (the three founding directors have over 100 willow grower left on the Somerset Levels and owns and farms 70 acres of land years of combined experience in the industry and business management) and the which includes 60 different varieties of willow. company’s offer of a holistic solution within an extremely diverse business sector, which can involve applications from installing temperature instrumentation within a As would be expected, the day to day running of the business has become much food and drink processing factory to measuring moisture content within a nuclear more mechanised. When the business first began all willow cutting was done by reactor. hand whereas the company now uses machines to both cut and strip the willow bark. That said, the business still grows willow in the traditional manner and has the The company provides a large amount of support to both scientists and engineers only wood-fired willow boiler left in use on the Somerset Levels. The company working in plant and laboratory environs within the oil and gas, nuclear power and prides itself on being carbon neutral and uses completely sustainable and chemical processing industries, and many of its products and engineering services renewable processes to harvest and process the willow. relate to the measuring of parameters for improving environmental legislation and efficiency issues. AM Sensors also provides calibration checks to meet site quality Today, the business still grows, processes and distributes willow to basket makers requirements, adjustment services to correct errors, or repair/replace process across the UK, Europe, the USA and New Zealand. The company also provides measuring Instruments. willow for a variety of other purposes including living willow projects like children’s play tunnels and environmental projects including soil erosion prevention and river The company continues to grow, employing some 25 people (some of whom are bank stabilisation. Schools especially use willow as it can be used across many sited at the Company premises in Chedzoy, and others “on site”) and with turnover aspects of the school curriculum including art & science projects (for example in excess of £1.8m. The company also undertakes engineering apprenticeship lantern making) and as living willow structures. The company also works with Art schemes in conjunction with Bridgwater College, which reinforces its commitment to Colleges and Sculptors who use willow to design public and environmental art. staff development and upskilling the workforce of the local area. The company also has UKAS accreditation to both ISO 9001 standard and ISO 14001, which relates to Interest has increased in recent years from the private sector, with many individuals Environmental Management Systems. wanting to learn how to make baskets or grow willow for fuel. In response the company now runs courses on many aspects of willow work. These new markets The company has recently moved to purpose-built environmentally efficient have produced a dramatic increase in demand and revenue and Musgrove Willows premises at Chedzoy, on the outskirts of Bridgwater. Additionally the Company is now has an annual turnover in excess of £150,000. acquiring premises in Dorset to accommodate new business acquired from a US based Company. In the future Musgrove Willows plans to expand the range of courses it offers and hopes to offer a skills resource centre for adults and children with learning difficulties and provide educational day courses, tours and visits for schools. In addition, as a tourism and visitor site the company hopes to improve its on-site catering facilities. There is also potential to diversify and offer allied materials and tools associated with the craft industry.

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