Agenda item

For Council to consider and approve the Economic Growth Strategic Refresh 2025-28.

Members considered the Economic Growth Strategic Refresh document created to continue the delivery of the Council’s Economic Development Strategy 2012-2031 presented by Councillor Boden in the absence of Councillor Benney.

Members made comments as follows:

·         Councillor Count thanked the officers and members that have helped put this document together, it has been produced in partnership with the Combined Authority to enable an overall growth strategy and it is very important that Fenland manages to put its marker down and that it is open for business. He feels it is a good piece of work and the examples used show how much the Council can help a business whereas in some areas of Government it gets in the way of local businesses. Councillor Count drew attention to the section that talks about available serviced land and infrastructure, with there being some great potential things happening locally, with one of the major projects which people either like or do not like being the Fenland Reservoir but he wants to concentrate on the area around the Chatteris Stainless Metalcraft and the possibility of the Peterborough Science and Technology Park at Whittlesey as what separates them for him is landing high productivity businesses in the area and he is looking for more of that and it is the productivity that is achieved in an area that changes the social and economic outcomes for the area, with there being too many years when the residents of the area have attended universities elsewhere and attained better jobs elsewhere, which means the economic material that is left in the Fens is behind other areas which has had social outcomes. He expressed the view that if the most can be made out of areas such as these and high values jobs can be drawn into the area with high productivity then the area would start keeping some of the people that are local to Fenland, which will make a real difference. Councillor Count would like the Council to go further as when a business is expanding they cannot afford to wait for a planning system and it is about how quickly it can be delivered and he has seen examples of where enterprise parks have said they will do all the necessary background work and pay associated costs which can be recouped and he would like to see a package put in front of the CPCA to say this is what is needed to change the area to bring some high productivity growth into Fenland, which could reduce inequalities in the area.

·         Councillor Miscandlon agreed with the comments of Councillor Count, the two major projects in the Fens at the moment are the reservoir and the technical and science park, with it being unfortunate that it is referred to as Peterborough, but it is many millions of pounds that is going to be spent on this project which is not prime agricultural land, it is a waste area, but it will be, if it comes to fruition, a very exciting project which will put Fenland on the map for being a science and technology centre.

Proposed by Councillor Boden, seconded by Councillor Miscandlon and AGREED that the Economic Growth Strategic Refresh 2025-28 be approved.