Economic Development and Meeting Business Needs Sophie Tyler & Giles Semper Oxfordshire County Council LTP Consultation Workshop 2: 14 October 2009.

Economic Development and Economic Development and Meeting Business NeedsMeeting Business Needs

Sophie Tyler & Giles SemperOxfordshire County Council LTP ConsultationWorkshop 2: 14 October 2009

Overview

• Commuting and business travel trends• Key challenges for businesses• Lessons from:

- Better Bankside- Camberwell Travel Plan Group- Cobalt Park

• Summary of questions for discussion

Oxfordshire Businesses by Number of Employees

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000

All VAT Based Enterprises

0 to 4 Persons Employed

5 to 9 Persons Employed

10 to 19 Persons Employed

20 or More Persons Employed

Oxf

ords

hire

Dis

tric

ts /

Num

ber o

f Em

ploy

ees

Number of VAT Registered Enterprises

West Oxfordshire

Vale of White Horse

South Oxfordshire

Oxford

Cherw ell

Oxfordshire Businesses by Sector

0500

100015002000250030003500

Cherwell

Oxford

South

Oxfo

rdsh

ire

Vale o

f White

Hors

e

West

Oxfor

dshir

e

Oxfordshire Districts

Nu

mb

er o

f V

AT

Reg

iste

red

E

nte

rpri

ses

Public

Private - Multi Site

Private - Single Site with 1 orLess Person Employed

Private - Single Site with Morethan 1 Person Employed

Oxfordshire Mode for Travel to Work (2001)

- 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000

Cherwell

Oxford

South Oxon

Vale

West Oxon

Oxf

ord

shir

e R

egio

n /

Mo

de

Number per mode

Other

Foot

Cycle

Taxi

Car / Van (Passenger)

Car / Van (Driver)

2 powered wheeler

Bus/ Coach

Train

Light Rail / Tram

Home

Business related travel & CO2 emissions

Estimated CO2 emissions from household cars by journey purpose and journey length, GB, 2002/2006 average DfT Low Carbon Transport: A Greener Future 2009

Key Characteristics of Travel to Work (2001)

• Largest numbers of people commuting within Outer Oxford (21510)

• Significant proportion of workers living and working within the same town in Banbury, Witney, Abingdon & Bicester (all more than commuting to Oxford City)

Summary

• Large number of SMEs

• Small number of large businesses in each district

• Each district has small number of large businesses

• Car dominated the journey to work (except Oxford city)

Key Challenges for Businesses

1. Keeping costs down (direct and indirect)

2. Recruiting / retaining staff

3. Information and engagement

4. Carbon reduction

Keeping costs down

• Service delivery / intra-site travel• Business travel • Delivery and freight• Congestion (loss of working time, late

deliveries etc)• Staff commuting trips • Facilities on site (car parking, cycle parking)

Staff recruitment & retention

• Perceived accessibility for average to higher income workers

• Actual & perceived accessibility for low income workers

• Quality of commute journey• Quality of business related travel• Perceived ‘equality’ between users of

different modes

Information and Engagement

• Who is responsible for what (when there is a problem)?

• What is on the horizon for the next 2-5 years?• How can we have real influence on plans for our

area / infrastructure used by the business?• How can we get timely, accurate and concise

information about transport services (changes)?• Who can help us reduce costs/ reduce carbon

emissions etc?

Climate Change and CO2 Reduction

• Carbon Reduction Commitment (from 2010)

• Other public sector commitments (NHS Carbon Reduction Strategy)

• Corporate Responsibility • Employee pressure &

campaigns

Business Improvement Districts

• Companies owned and led by businesses

• Ballot of businesses needed to set one up

• BID ‘levy’ based on rateable value of properties

• ‘Levy’ usually collected at the same time as business rates

• BID turnover ranges from £100,000 to £5m

• Services must be additional to statutory provision

Better Bankside

• UK’s third-ever Business Improvement District (BID)

• Revives the Bankside ‘brand’

• 290 businesses paying c. £800,000pa in levy

• Travel Planning programme since 2005

Better Bankside Travel Planning Group

• Mechanism for two way communication

• Businesses themselves in charge and dictate the agenda

• Helps create understanding of local authority plans and roles

• Makes planning of joint initiatives possible

• Having a budget for projects is crucial

Better Bankside Master Travel Plan

Key targets are to increase by 50% by 2010:

1. the share of people who walk to work, amongst those who live within a 2 mile radius.

2. the share of people who cycle to work, amongst those who live within a 5 mile radius.

3. the number of work related journeys made to locations within London on foot (2006: 20%)

4. the number of work related journey made to locations within London by bicycle (2006: 3%)

Online at: http://www.betterbankside.co.uk/travel

Better Bankside - Services and Funding

• Individual travel plans supported via Transport for London programme (advice and money!)

• Linked to BID’s own services

• Direct services for employees (cycle maintenance, guided walks)

• Help secure interest in vision low carbon transport area

Better Bankside – Development Brief• Communication about

new developments and redevelopment schemes

• Coordinates information from all sources

• One source of information for local businesses

• Joint project – Southwark Council, Better Bankside, developers

• http://www.betterbankside.co.uk/news/development-news

Camberwell

Camberwell Travel Plan Group

•Launched in December 2006•Key partners: Kings College

NHS Foundation Trust, South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Institute of Psychiatry

•Currently chaired by Southwark Council

•Enables large NHS institutions to create links with small community groups

•Aims to link to smaller businesses and traders

Camberwell Transport Summit July 07

• Cofunded with community grant• Focusing on bringing all parts of the community together• Help achieve consensus on main objectives• Establish better working relationships with stakeholders

Cobalt Park – North Tyneside

• Regeneration site (former industrial land)

• ‘UK’s largest office park’

• 9,000 Employees• Transport linked in

from the start• Developers pay for 2

Travel Coordinators• Partnerships with North

Tyneside Council and Sustrans

Strategic Challenges looking towards 2030

1. Increase in transport costs due to ‘peak oil’ & need for investment in alternatives (fuel systems, vehicles, training etc.)

2. More CO2 emission related regulation, including reporting obligations and meeting targets set by government

3. Need for more ‘corporate (social) responsibility’ and involvement in transport decision making and financing

Sophie [email protected]

Tel: 07595 711636

Giles [email protected]

Tel: 07950 152833

www.themeans.co.uk