Rutland – a strategy for Growth

1. Rutland – a strategy for Growth June 2011

2. A County Wide strategy for growth

3. Our Vision for Rutland Rutland is a great place to live, learn, work, play and visit We plan to make it better by: Creating a safer community for all Improving educational standards and skill levels Maintaining high levels of employment and a thriving local economy Promoting good health and wellbeing Improving access to services Providing more opportunities for culture and leisure activities Enabling good quality housing that is affordable Protecting our heritage and rural environment

4. Key Strategic aims Maintaining high levels of Employment and a Thriving local economy • Assisting, promoting and not inhibiting local businesses •  Providing people with the right skills • Improving the flexibility of labour • Helping people into employment • Developing thriving market towns

5. The Rutland Context • 38,400 population and growing fast! • 16,085 households • Over 3,000 businesses • Affluent with pockets of deprivation • 1 Prisons, 2 MOD bases, 2 Public Schools, Community hospital, 2 Fire stations, two police stations, 17 schools and 4 libraries • All in 16 miles by 16 miles

6. Our business community Some key facts • Business birth rate 55.7 per 10,000 working age population above the East Midlands average • 1,950 businesses registered for VAT and PAYE • Highly skilled residents - 34% of residents have NVQ4 and above qualifications compared to UK (29.9%) • High proportion of SMEs and home based businesses • Successful tourism economy (worth £85milion annually) • Businesses reasonably resilient in the last recession • Facing impacts of public sector restraints and rising costs • All with increased dependencies on IT based technology and broadband

7. The Current Economic Climate • Both RAF Cottesmore and HMP Ashwell closed on 31st March 2011 • The future of RAF Cottesmore has not yet been confirmed • The combined economic impact on Rutland GVA is £60m with the loss of 3,000 jobs in the local area • Whilst the full impact is yet to be felt local evidence exists of the impact of the loss of spend in the area and reduced employment within the County • Rutland has a good track record of business growth and can support growth and employment – in the right circumstances!

8. Requirement Intervention What would support business growth? • Improved Broadband • Affordable Housing • Skills and Vocational Training • Development of support to SME’s • Development of employment land and business units • Supporting sectors – the Visitor Economy • Improved transport • Regenerating Oakham • Digital Rutland • Oakham Urban extension • Rutland County College – expansion of vocational offer and link to employment • Business support service – need to expand • Need to expand supply and develop affordable alternatives in a supportive environment with super fast broadband – Ashwell Business Park • Comprehensive strategy in place to support the visitor economy • Comprehensive strategy for a Sustainable Transport Solution in place • A masterplan for the re-generation of Oakham

9. Potential and Actual Funding Sources

10. Key Strategic Interventions Supporting:-GROWTH EMPLOYMENT SUSTAINABILITY

11. Digital Rutland • A Broadband solution for the whole County – addressing the issue of ‘not spots’ and areas the market will not penetrate • Speed and Coverage – business and householdNext Generation Access for a minimum of 99% of the County in place by 2012/13 – higher speeds and wider bandwidthsWe are technology neutral but anticipate a range of cost effective solutions deployed to maximise ‘reach’ including FTTC, FTTH, wireless Minimum speeds by 2013:- • Improved broadband service for Business including SMEs and Home workers • Improved services for the community

12. Ashwell Business Park • Located on the site of HMP Ashwell – 20 acres brown field site with a number of buildings and facilities that could be re-used • There is space for a business park to meet our needs plus one or more larger businesses • Tying in with the Masterplan for Oakham re-locating local businesses to free up prime retail space and create a significantly improved retail environment and add to the Visitor economy • Business park for SME’s • Training and Skills centre • Innovation and Incubation units • Serviced office accommodation • Low cost provision • Business advice service • Supported by Super fast broadband

13. Affordable Housing • Oakham Urban Extension1,100 new housesPlanning permission in placeIn the hands of one developerLDF Core Strategy complete and due for adoption June 2011 • Strong RSL Sector • Key priority for RCC • Stock transfer complete • Strong market for housing development sites • Possibility of key worker housing to support Ashwell Business Park

14. Sustainable Travel

15. Skills and Training • Post 16 Education in Rutland protected • Enhanced vocational curriculum already being delivered • New site identified for Rutland County College and masterplan in place • Local employers supporting the vocational and skills approach • There is potential for the Ashwell site to support / complement the delivery of Skills / Vocational training in the County

16. Key actions • Implementation of the Digital Rutland Strategy • Implementation of the actions contained within the Sustainable Transport Bid • Ashwell Business Park – submission of an outline proposal to the Ministry of Justice on the future use of HMP Ashwell • Develop a support programme for SME’s building on existing interventions • Skills and Training – support to the development of Rutland County College • Affordable Housing – continued support for the development of an increased stock of Affordable Housing