Teignbridge businesses have their say on local plans - prsd

Local business leaders have been speaking up in support of employment plans for Teignbridge as part of the area?s draft 20 year plan.

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Plan Teignbridge aims to enable enough development to provide a job for every working age person who lives in the district as part of its ambitious 20 year plan.? The plan; which sets out expectations for jobs, employment space, homes, the environment, transport, local facilities and more; suggests room for 19,000 square metres of non-food retail floorspace (like shops and offices) and 18,200 new jobs ? around 910 per year.? It aims to help existing businesses expand, new businesses to set up or relocate to Teignbridge, and more people to live and work locally rather than relying on commuting.

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Among the issues to be addressed in the Core Strategy is the need to take in to account growth and investment in Exeter and Torbay.? Evidence suggests that Teignbridge will need to provide more shops, jobs and homes in its major towns to prevent losing trade to other areas and seeing more people commute outside of the area, leaving places acting as ?dormitory? towns for larger areas.

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The area currently enjoys a fairly strong economy, with notable industries including tourism, industrial production and mining.? However there are a number of district-wide issues which Plan Teignbridge aims to solve.? These include:

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• Average wages in the district are low and thousands of people have to travel out of Teignbridge every day to work. Many of our most qualified young people have to leave the area to pursue their careers.

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• There?s a need for higher skill, higher paid jobs that will reduce commuting out of the area, saving local people money and time, and helping the environment.

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• Teignbridge needs more space for smaller, local businesses to grow, so they don?t have to leave the area

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• A need for a wider range of jobs for the ordinary families that make up most of our population; including local tradesmen and craftspeople

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• A need for even more retail jobs in vibrant town centres

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As part of its consultation on the draft plan, Teignbridge District Council has been reaching out to businesses, including several major local employers and smaller growing firms, to get their views on the plan.? Now several businesses have come together to speak publicly about its potential effects.

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Pat Masterson, Director of Newton Abbot Racecourse said:

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?As a long-established business in Newton Abbot which has continued steady growth, we?re very sensitive to the needs of the local economy.? Teignbridge, and Newton Abbot in particular, has fared very well compared to many areas in recent years, but we need to keep up that momentum to ensure companies like ours remain sending positive?messages out.

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?More business space and homes will mean a stronger local economy, providing a shot in the arm for employment and helping us stay competitive with other areas.?

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Mike Hobbs, Financial Director of Centrax Ltd said:

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?Centrax is one of the largest employers in Teignbridge.? We welcome these moves to provide more land for industry and offices, which is vital to help companies grow and encourage new starters.

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?18,200 jobs and 19,000 square metres of employment land over the next 20 years is an ambitious but achievable target. ?Centrax has recently expanded and created employment opportunities in the last 12 months, so we know the value of a plan which backs economic development.? That value isn?t just for businesses, but for our wider economy and the people we employ.?

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It isn?t only big business which will benefit from the plan; in fact much of its aims will help smaller businesses expand and new ones set up shop.

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WiFi SPARK Ltd is one of several small firms working in Teignbridge Business Centre in Heathfield, an office complex run by Teignbridge Council to rent space to new starters.? WiFi SPARK Ltd is a rapidly expanding business which will soon require new premises.?

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Matt O?Donovan, Managing Director of WiFi SPARK Ltd said:

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?We?ve had a lot of success at the Business Centre, but the time?s coming when we?ll want our own office space ? and that?s at a premium in this part of the country.? Less space at high rates means prohibitively high costs for many companies, putting off many new starters or businesses like ours looking to expand.

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?Teignbridge needs more good quality office space to help firms like ours grow and employ more people.? In the world of business, standing still often means going backwards, especially when you?re competing with areas like Exeter and Torbay.? We want to remain local and see Teignbridge stand on its own two feet economically speaking; not just become a dormitory for people working outside of the area.?

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Cllr Jeremy Christophers, Leader of Teignbridge District Council added:

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?Plan Teignbridge will make a real difference to the local economy.? The economy moves very quickly indeed, as we?ve seen in the past few years.? There?ll be more change to come, and we have to be leading it rather than sitting back and letting it happen to us.

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?We?ve been listening carefully to the views of local businesses, which are part of the backbone of our economy.? The clear message has been that they need more employment space, better facilities and more affordable offices.? We need to be sure we?re supplying that, otherwise we risk losing a lot of local talent and money to other areas.? People need good quality jobs, preferably with nearby homes which they can actually afford.

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?We hope Plan Teignbridge will play an important part in helping this happen.? We might not have much influence on the national economy or the business decisions of individual firms, but we can lay the local foundation for a strong and successful economy in the years to come.

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?There?s still time for businesses, and indeed anyone else, to give us their views on the plan.? Please take time to have a look at www.teignbridge.gov.uk/planteignbridge and let us know your thoughts by Friday 2 March at 4.30pm.?

Source: http://prsd-vefpf.posterous.com/teignbridge-businesses-have-their-say-on-loca

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