p4 - ashfield & mansfield joint economic masterplan ... · the action plans, that together form...

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Joint Economic Masterplan

Supported and funded by:

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A Plan for Growth

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Executive Summary 4

The Vision 7

1. Introduction 8

2. What is an Economic Masterplan? 10

3. The Policy Context 13

The Diagnosis 21

1. Where We Are Now – the Challenges & Opportunities 21

2. The Evidence Base 22

3. The Prosperity Gap Model 24

4. Place Resilience 27

5. Growth Sectors 28

6. Agglomeration Factors 29

7. Economic Inclusion 30

The Cure 32

1. Framework for Growth – The Key Economic Objectives 32

2. The Priority Areas 33

3. Themes 34

4. The Role of Town Centres 40

1. Context 41

2. Governance – Roles & Responsibilities 42

3. Review Framework 43

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Ambition - n. a strong desire for success, achievement or distinction

of the recession. We will build on considerable efforts made, over recent years, to bring lasting improvements in the local economy and associated infrastructure. Both District Councils, working in partnership with other local organisations, recognise that we have a shared interest in achieving local economic growth and attracting and retaining investment, whilst improving our towns and the lives of people who live here.

how to best achieve this, acting as a catalyst for action and investment in the

from these improvements, but will also be given the opportunity to contribute

helping shape this, through the Joint Economic Masterplan, and will be at the forefront of championing the area and facilitating recovery and growth.

However, our ambition can only be achieved together; this means closer working with partner organisations, potential investors, local businesses and local people. The Sherwood Growth Zone Partnership wholeheartedly demonstrates this commitment. The challenge is for all partners – public, private and voluntary sector – to work together to deliver this vision, tackle barriers and build on our opportunities to achieve prosperity. This is even more important during the current economic climate.

This Joint Economic Masterplan document has resulted from extensive research, along with valued comments received from the consultation exercise in the summer of 2011. It is designed to be a dynamic, living document, responsive to changing circumstances and priorities, and will be under continual review by the Sherwood Growth Zone Partnership to ensure

We look forward to working with you to deliver our ambition.

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This strategic document sets out an ambitious new vision for the economy of

steps necessary to successfully deliver against that vision.

common industrial past and strong sense of community. Although focused on the two Districts at its core, the Masterplan is based on the principle of

An Economic Masterplan is a relatively new concept, which seeks to

a powerful development and promotional tool for an area. Put simply, the Economic Masterplan provides a “road map”, setting out how we achieve our shared vision and consists of a strategic element and a Delivery Plan.

The Economic Masterplan has been developed during a time of rapidly changing policy and recessionary challenges. However, the economic

unchanged. The approach, aligned with the “localism” agenda, is to focus on issues facing the economy within the relevant geography. It should almost go without saying, that the Masterplan has been developed to align with the appropriate national, sub-regional and local strategies.

the two districts, was carried out and a key message that resulted from the research is:

In response our aim is:

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Achieving against these objectives will lead to:

ensure we remain focused on the key areas of and :

Action will be taken across all of the themes and the priorities and background evidence, for each of the themes, are detailed in the main Masterplan document.

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The action plans, that together form the Delivery Plan element of the Masterplan, consist of interventions that the two District Councils will lead and/or play a substantive role in delivering. These interventions will usually also rely on other partner resources to be delivered successfully and will be:

Whilst delivery of this Masterplan is through the District Councils, the effectiveness of this also relies on working in partnership with other stakeholders and partners, with an interest in the local economy. This is

Growth Zone Partnership (SGZP). The SGZP represents the most relevant body for ensuring the Economic Masterplan remains on track and targeted

area. The SGZP will work closely with the local councils, to ensure activity remains accountable and will also help to attract investment and lobby sub-

The Economic Masterplan will be reviewed annually, to ensure it remains

on a quarterly basis.

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Against this vision, the Economic Masterplan is based on the following principles of change, which will guide the delivery of growth and regeneration:

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long-term economic challenges and rebuild the economy, focused on growth and prosperity and a better quality of life for all our communities - now and in the future.

This masterplan has moved on from previous strategies, as it is not restricted by boundaries. Although focused on the two Districts at its core, the

to the economy. For example, a physical regeneration project, within one of our town centres, would have a local impact, but would have a knock-on effect for neighbouring towns. At the opposite end of the scale, attracting new investment into the area needs a strong local brand, but also needs to

cities.

Through this approach, we can work to improve every facet of the local economy and not limit our ambition.

The rationale for a joint approach has been evidenced by research, completed to support the Economic Masterplan. The area acts as a single economy, including sharing employers and employees, potential growth sectors and infrastructure.

These links are also historic, with a common industrial past, focused on manufacturing, textiles and coal mining, characterised by urban growth, economic independence and a strong sense of community.

economic change in the UK, bringing with it a legacy of physical decay, economic stagnation and unemployment within our communities.

negative, as has been the traditional approach. Since the weaknesses and challenges facing our economy and communities are symptoms, the key is to focus on a cure, based on boosting productivity, promoting growth and providing people with the skills required to improve their quality of life.

economy in the East Midlands and the largest in the County outside of Greater Nottingham.

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This positive focus is also based on the strong track record of joint working,

creating the climate for regeneration and delivering innovative economic development activity. The most notable example of this is the highly

programme, which has helped to create a new entrepreneurial culture and boost business start-ups in our most disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

In addition, the Sherwood Growth Zone Partnership has grown in strength to become the main partnership body responsible for driving forward the

as 10,000 new jobs to the area. The Sherwood Growth Zone has stimulated

development (subject to potential call-in), all demonstrate that there remains a strong impetus for investment and growth in the area, despite the recession.

Most importantly, the Economic Masterplan will only be successful if it leads to sustainable development and transformational regeneration. The challenge, set by the Coalition Government, is to “rebalance the economy” and our research suggests that there is a great deal of scope for the

growth and prosperity.

To this end, the Economic Masterplan cannot be viewed in isolation and must work within the wider strategic context, which includes housing supply and growth, transport and infrastructure investment and social renewal.

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An Economic Masterplan is a relatively new concept, which seeks to

a powerful development and promotional tool for an area. Its main aim is to provide a deliverable and strategic approach for raising productivity, by tackling economic underperformance, which has limited growth and prevents the area reaching its economic potential.

Unlike previous strategic approaches to economic development, the Economic Masterplan is not static, but represents an agreed and continually evolving framework for action, all based on a sound understanding of economic performance and relevant to all with a stake in the local economy.

The economy does not stand still and so neither should the Economic Masterplan, which should always answer the following key questions:

Since local government has a key role to play in leading change and championing the area, the Councils must act as place shapers, using their

agenda.

The Economic Masterplan must also act as a “call to arms”, challenging all stakeholders and partners across all sectors to help deliver the vision, tackle the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities to achieve growth and prosperity.

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elements of a successful Economic Masterplan include:

economy. The documents compiled to provide this information, are available on the Sherwood Growth Zone Partnership website

The narrative for the Economic Masterplan including:

A set of action plans based on the key interventions and priorities of the Economic Masterplan focusing on results and projects to achieve the vision.

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To put it simply, the Economic Masterplan provides a “road map”, setting out how we achieve our shared vision. To this end, any activities driven by the Economic Masterplan, must be measured against the following:

Although it provides a framework to 2020, the Economic Masterplan will

associated action plans will be monitored quarterly.

For further detail on this approach please see Section 5: Delivery Plan

document or visit:

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The Economic Masterplan has been developed during a time of rapidly changing policy and recessionary challenges. The Coalition Government has introduced a new approach to economic growth. However, the economic

and the Masterplan has been developed within this changing context. The approach is to focus on issues facing the economy within the relevant geography, which accords with the “localism” agenda as well as the previous

published in July 2007 and its follow-up document, “Prosperous Places” published in March 2008.

The SNR proposals covered four key areas:

These proposals were based on “Place Shaping” - promoting the wellbeing of a community and ensuring local people enjoy a high quality of life. This is achieved through providing effective local services, promoting economic prosperity, social cohesion and environmental sustainability locally. Successful regeneration is about balancing a dynamic approach with a sensitive one.

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The Economic Masterplan responds to this “Place Shaping”, by advocating that local authorities should take a lead role in building and shaping local identity. This entails working to establish conditions required to help the local economy to succeed and working with other organisations to resolve complex challenges and provide solutions to allow growth and prosperity.

For the Coalition Government, the new policy driver for economic growth is to “re-balance the economy” towards private sector jobs and wealth

was set out in the White Paper

with the following themes:

This new approach has led to the dismantling of the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and replacing them with business-led

, to “provide the clear vision and strategic leadership to drive sustainable private sector led growth and job creation in their area”.

demand aspects of economic development, transport, housing and spatial planning.

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economic development, the white paper also set out proposed reforms to the planning system and the publication of a new National Planning Policy Framework. The new framework advocates that the planning system should proactively support sustainable development and give new powers to communities and businesses through neighbourhood plans. The need for adequate and appropriate housing and economic growth are key drivers behind this approach.

promote economic growth, to replace the traditional grants of the past. The new incentives, being developed, include the proposal for local authorities to

be able to be combined with new borrowing powers, facilitating mechanisms such as Tax Increment Financing (TIF), which enables borrowing against future increases in business rate revenues.

area. The Coalition Government have introduced a number of new policies to tackle improving skills and reducing unemployment.

has been established to reform welfare to work

and responsive service to people looking for work. The UK also needs to ensure that we have the right skills mix to maximise employment and growth. The BIS strategy, , has set out a number of recommendations to drive policy and investment, including expanding apprenticeships to supply the national demand for technical skills, providing employer incentives to support training, promoting enterprise skills in schools and providing restructured lifelong learning support.

The Coalition Government has also proposed reforms to the demand side - most notably around business support, with the reduction of the national

The reforms proposed through theauthorities, service providers and local businesses. The challenge is even more acute, given cuts in public sector spending

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and county developments. covers the counties of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire and the two cities of Derby

proposal to Government included a number of key objectives for future prosperity:

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trade; promotion and tourism; employment & skills; and infrastructure & planning (including housing).

The Strategic Plan has four priorities to achieve sustainable employment and business growth:

Other sub-regional activity has also been considered to ensure the Economic

Nottinghamshire business engagement group, the proposed Economic Priority Forum and the continued work of the Economic Resilience and Science City Board.

The “Place Shaping” agenda is fundamental to ensuring sustainable economic prosperity and a decent quality of life for local people. The

complementing existing local strategies, to ensure development is in the best interests of the local area, its businesses and communities.

Both districts have their visions here outlined in this respect embedded in their respective ) – the plans of plans – setting out the long-term priorities for an area, agreed by partners, stakeholders and the community.

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2026 are as follows:

Picture”, has a largely overlapping set of priorities:

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The two strategies, in the main, share the same core priorities of:

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In order to achieve the vision, a number of strategies are in place, focused on the key elements of the SCS – housing, transport, infrastructure and economic development. These include:

The Economic Masterplan seeks to enhance and complement this strategic approach.

, provides the delivery for the physical aspects of the SCS, underpinning the economic, environmental and social objectives of both people and place.

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Before any action can be taken, the Economic Masterplan needs to understand the challenges and opportunities within the economies and the

economic underperformance, social deprivation and environmental blight.

As stated in Section 1, much regeneration has taken place over the last 20 years, resulting in a great deal of success in transforming the fortunes of

much work still needs to be done in tackling these challenges.

, set up by Government to review what has been achieved so far, lessons to

and asked the key question:

intervention, as “economic recovery in these areas is still fragile and more susceptible to the recession than other local authority areas”. It noted, that although much of the environmental impact of the industrial past had been

such as employment, health, training and skills, housing, aspiration and enterprise rates and social disaffection.

The report recommended that “tackling the deep-seated structural and social problems, requires a joined-up, multi-agency approach” and that “local authorities are best placed to understand their own areas and therefore have

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It is all too easy to focus on these economic and social challenges. However, the focus of the Economic Masterplan is positive - growth and prosperity, creating opportunity and improving the quality of life for local

opportunities that can help the area achieve its potential. These include:

In order for the Economic Masterplan to be effective and action focused, a great deal of research was undertaken to understand the key issues:

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In addition, the Economic Masterplan responds to the Nottingham and

challenges within the County and how it has been affected by the recession.

Partnership, established to drive forward growth across Derbyshire and

To help us answer these questions, a number of detailed reports have been commissioned and prepared as part of the assessment stage. All these reports and the resultant Assessment Stage Final Report are available on the Sherwood Growth Zone Partnership website:

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undertaken using the “Prosperity Gap” model, measuring the gap between actual output and its potential based on the following four components of GVA.

good stock of working age people, effectively utilised in highly productive employment.

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underperforms by

In order to diagnose the reasons for this underperformance, a closer analysis of the four key components of GVA is required, as set out in the table above.

there are not enough people to do the work required to increase output.

The analysis indicates that the employment rate, amongst those who could

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work longer hours than the national average.

performance, and the key driver for economic growth. However, productivity

average.

The prosperity gap analysis clearly indicates that increasing productivity is the key to growth and prosperity and should be the focus of the Economic Masterplan.

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The ability to sustain economic growth is dependent on how resilient an area is to local, national and international “shocks”, such as a recession. As

Place resilience depends on how well the three different components of the economy interact and work together, these are:

The relationships between each of these three components, and how they

against four descriptive rankings – Resilient, Stable, Vulnerable and Brittle.

The conclusions reached are summarised below:

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Experian provided a detailed analysis, identifying potential growth sectors

The comparison between historic and future trends suggests a gradual but clear move away from traditional sectors towards the following:

transport equipment, metals etc.) and other niche areas, such as sustainable construction, energy and environmental technologies, need to be recognised, maintained and fostered.

Additionally, although retail and construction are not high growth sectors,

regeneration, such as town centre development and further physical

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their traditional industrial base, which has tended towards an insularity, both economically and culturally.

need to recognise and maximise the opportunities in strengthening links with surrounding areas, most notably nearby cities. This will result in greater economic growth and prosperity for local people and businesses.

The study strengthens the assumption of a strong interdependency between

Newark & Sherwood.

A number of key conclusions help to shape the Economic Masterplan and future policy. To summarise, the key recommendations include:

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employment rate performs well against the national average. However, this masks very serious worklessness in local communities, weakening economic potential.

“people of working age who are not in formal employment, but who are looking for a job (the unemployed), together with people of working age who are neither formally employed nor looking for formal employment (the economically inactive)”

The Industrial Communities Alliance published a report in October 2009, “The Impact of Recession on Unemployment in Industrial Britain”. The report took a wider view of “unemployment” in the UK – not the narrower JSA claimant count approach adopted by the Government. The report concluded that industrial communities had entered the recession in a fragile state of structural decline with the recession biting particularly hard in traditional manufacturing.

As a result, “real” unemployment, which includes non-claimant unemployed

had a pre-existing stock of long-term unemployed.

The Economic Inclusion Report, compiled to support the evidence base for the Economic Masterplan, provides further detail of the scale of

The report provides headline information on GVA (productivity), employment

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To achieve the economic vision, the Economic Masterplan is focused on delivering against a set of objectives, providing a framework for growth.

Based upon the “Prosperity Gap” analysis, the three focus on driving productivity and growth and raising GVA:

Through focusing on the three economic objectives, the Economic Masterplan helps achieve

regeneration:

Creating a mix of productive and competitive businesses

(Productivity)

Attracting and retaining

a skilled workforce

High quality employment opportunities

for all (Utilisation)

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In order to be successful, the Economic Masterplan sets out how economic resilience and prosperity will be achieved against these areas:

These represent the building blocks of the Economic Masterplan and are closely interlinked. Every theme and project will touch at least one area and ensure that all action takes into account the economic, physical and social aspects of regeneration.

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The Economic Masterplan is not a static document. Alongside the research base and this strategy there is a Delivery Plan, made up of individual action plans, to drive the framework for growth and provide a “road map” for economic growth and regeneration. The District Councils will not only look to instil these thematic values in the external environment but also endeavour to incorporate them into their own practices and procedures.

The Delivery Plan is focused on actions that need to be driven or coordinated by the two District Councils. This Delivery Plan will be subject to constant review to ensure it remains focused. All interventions and activities need to be:

At the heart of the Economic Masterplan are 5 themes, which together will ensure we remain focused on people, business and place:

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to meet new opportunities in employment, stimulate growth and raise productivity. To attract and retain an adaptable and modern skilled workforce, we must ensure that individuals have access to relevant, high quality education, training and employment opportunities.

passes A*-C). This compares to a national average of 30%. It is therefore critical to economic growth that we raise retention and increase participation in post-16 education, through helping to provide opportunities to access high quality learning.

Although not entirely negative, this situation is a major factor in suppressing the increase in productivity required to achieve growth. As the economy restructures for growth, it is important that focused vocational education and training is available to meet the needs of existing and future employers. Clearly, raising aspirations and ensuring a full range of opportunities is available for people to develop is vital to success.

Proposed key actions:

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This is focused on connecting residents with employment opportunities and proactively working with employers to meet their needs. The key is to fully utilise the existing labour market to meet demand, rather than importing

labour force well, with employment rates higher than the national average. However, this is largely due to poor skills in lower value industries.

damage that generations of unemployment and ill health have on individuals, families and communities.

Future productivity growth will rely on ensuring local people can still meet changing employment needs, maximise local take-up of jobs and encourage those not economically active to participate and return to the world of work.

Proposed actions:

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prosperity and increasing productivity also relies on new local businesses being created, good survival rates and a better rate of churn. The area has a larger than average proportion of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) - mostly those with less than 50 employees - but business start-ups and self-employment still lags behind the UK average.

Recently, enterprise development and the creation of an entrepreneurial

environment for businesses with tailored business support, including coaching and mentoring, being easily accessible.


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an area where businesses are supported to diversify and grow. The area enjoys an enviable competitive edge, in terms of location and availability of land, and this has been the focus of the Sherwood Growth Zone Partnership. Further work between the public sector, developers and local businesses is required to ensure the area is marketed to new business and potential inward investors.

boost enterprise and investment will be through promoting innovation and

but will also ensure other key areas of the local economy remain competitive.

The role of the natural environment is also important in stimulating economic activity and efforts will be made to promote a green economy through sustainable energy and construction and unleashing the potential of the low carbon economy to create wealth and employment.


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Property is key to creating a competitive location for investment and growth.

The recently published Joint Property Strategy, produced by Innes England,

which inhibits local business growth and expansion. It also recognised that target sector growth relies on an adequate supply of sustainable employment sites.

Emerging Government policy suggests that opportunities and powers will be made available, at a local level, to drive business investment, including the potential to retain Business Rate revenues and the re-emergence of the Enterprise Zone concept.

Although the focus will be on commercial property development, economic growth and improved quality of life is also dependent on ensuring the right mix of housing is available to existing communities and new residents. In addition, green infrastructure is also vital to sustainable economic development, through linking homes with jobs. Sustainable, high quality mixed development is also a priority of the Economic Masterplan.


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role in realising growth and quality of life aspirations and providing a recognisable destination to the Economic Masterplan. As well as providing employment opportunities, they are an important measure of the prosperity

The economic focus is on improving town centres as destinations for local people, visitors and investors, ensuring they represent the right balance of offer and choice within a quality environment.

schemes with positive economic and visual impacts.

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The Economic Masterplan is not just a strategy; it is focused on actions to achieve growth and represents a new way of working together to achieve shared goals. Whilst delivery of this Masterplan is through the District Councils, the effectiveness of this also relies on working in partnership with other stakeholders and partners, with an interest in the local economy. This

Sherwood Growth Zone Partnership.

for purpose. Actions will be assessed against the following criteria:

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The Economic Masterplan provides a focus for strengthening existing partnership arrangements rather than creating new structures. The Sherwood Growth Zone Partnership represents the most relevant body for ensuring the Economic Masterplan remains on track and targeted on the economic needs

The Sherwood Growth Zone Partnership will work closely with local councils to ensure activity remains accountable and will also help to attract investment and lobby sub-regional and national policy makers – particularly

The Place Resilience study indicates that the three sectors of the economy need to fully interact to achieve economic prosperity. The roles can be summarised as follows:

All three sectors need to champion the area as a place to live, work, visit and invest.

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Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each theme are included in the Action Plans. Targets will be agreed by the Sherwood Growth Zone on an annual basis and progress against these reviewed quarterly.

In addition, it is proposed that the strategy element of the Economic Masterplan is reviewed by the Sherwood Growth Zone Partnership every

economic factors and achievements to date.

Supported and funded by:

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For more information please contact:

For the latest progress on the Delivery Plan please visit

p4 - ashfield & mansfield joint economic masterplan ... · the action plans, that together form...

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