inspire BUSINESS WEST – CONNECTING BUSINESSES COMMENT & OPINION
Keeping you up-to-date with the latest political policies and decisions that affect South West businesses
Now is the time to show ambition
An update on the Joint Spatial Plan and Transport Study on housing, employment and transport, by Matt Griffith.
As a high-growth area, the challenge for the West of England is to plan for and deliver the new homes and jobs our region needs while overcoming a legacy of underinvestment in transport infrastructure and preserving the quality of our environment. For many years Business West has been
calling for a long-term and strategic approach to regional planning which cuts across authority boundaries. While the current process is to be welcomed, we feel the latest draft plans were disappointing. Housing, and the lack of a sufficient
supply of well located and affordable homes, remains a weakness. Unless we plan for enough homes, this will act as a drag on our future performance and growth. The current proposals fall well short of the housing requirements identified by independent experts and if the numbers are not increased there is a strong risk that rental and homeownership affordability will continue to deteriorate. We also believe that not enough has
been done in the current plan to secure the future employment land that businesses will need if they are to grow and create the jobs of the future. On transport, the proposed vision sets
out an ambitious package of investments to tackle current challenges and support future growth. This is to be welcomed, and proposals for light rail corridors and a strengthening of the city-region’s orbital network, for example, are long overdue. There is a concern, however, that these proposals have not been properly coordinated with the proposed housing development locations, and the resulting infrastructure requirements are neither as sustainable nor as cost-effective as they could be.
Find out about the JSP/JTS process at:
www.jointplanningwofe.org.uk/consult.ti
12 insight JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 The Guangzhou Bridge in Bristol’s sister city
Mayor visits China to forge business links
By JONATHAN SMITH, Market Specialist – China Business West
city. During a busy three-day trip, the mayor attended a forum on city governance and met local leaders, including the mayor of Guangzhou and vice governor of Guangdong Province. You could be forgiven for not
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seeing the similarities between Bristol and Guangzhou – a city of over 10 million people, but there are many relevant similarities in both the shape of their economies and the challenges they face. Much like Bristol, the future of
Guangzhou will depend on innovation, technology and unleashing the creative potential of a well-educated local population. The Pearl River Delta region was the centre of China’s Reform and Opening period over 30 years ago and continues to be at the forefront of China’s development. This means that the region is rapidly moving away from low-cost, low-wage, low-skill manufacturing towards an economy that can better be described as ‘Created in China’ than ‘Made in China’. The opportunities for Bristol companies that
are able to rise to the challenge of exporting to China are huge – especially in sectors such as
arvin Rees, Bristol’s mayor, has visited Guangzhou in southern China to solidify links with Bristol’s sister
financial and professional services, aerospace and high-tech manufacturing, green energy, smart cities and creative industries. Just as China learned from other countries in
its quest for economic development, Rees can learn from other British mayors on how to get the most out of Bristol’s relationship with China. For inspiration, he need look no further than Joe Anderson, who has put great stock in developing relations with China during his time as mayor of Liverpool. Anderson had no problems putting
political party loyalties aside to work in conjunction with the Conservative central government to further the interests of his city. This was evident when he joined former chancellor George Osborne
on a visit to China in 2015. The efforts of Anderson and his team in leveraging the prestige and influence of central government to boost
the city’s profile in China and boost links have started to bear fruit with a noticeable uptick of trade and investment flows between Liverpool and China. Liverpool’s example is one worth paying attention to. Trade Secretary Liam Fox has already expressed his wish to work with Mayor Rees to help Bristol make the most of international opportunities. If Rees can form as close a working relationship
with Fox as Anderson did with Osborne, Bristol and its businesses will surely benefit.
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