Economic Development and Meeting Business Needs

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

2. 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

3. Oxfordshire Businesses by Number of Employees

4. Oxfordshire Businesses by Sector

5. Oxfordshire Mode for Travel to Work (2001)

6. 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

7. 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)

8. 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)

9. Key Challenges for Businesses • Keeping costs down (direct and indirect) • Recruiting / retaining staff • Information and engagement • Carbon reduction

10. 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)

11. 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

12. 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?

13. Climate Change and CO2 Reduction • Carbon Reduction Commitment (from 2010) • Other public sector commitments (NHS Carbon Reduction Strategy) • Corporate Responsibility • Employee pressure & campaigns

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. Better Bankside Master Travel Plan Key targets are to increase by 50% by 2010: • the share of people who walk to work, amongst those who live within a 2 mile radius. • the share of people who cycle to work, amongst those who live within a 5 mile radius. • the number of work related journeys made to locations within London on foot (2006: 20%) • the number of work related journey made to locations within London by bicycle (2006: 3%) Online at: http://www.betterbankside.co.uk/travel

18. 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

19. 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

20. Camberwell

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. Strategic Challenges looking towards 2030 • Increase in transport costs due to ‘peak oil’ & need for investment in alternatives (fuel systems, vehicles, training etc.) • More CO2 emission related regulation, including reporting obligations and meeting targets set by government • Need for more ‘corporate (social) responsibility’ and involvement in transport decision making and financing

25. Sophie Tyler sophie.tyler@themeans.co.uk Tel: 07595 711636 Giles Semper giles.semper@themeans.co.uk Tel: 07950 152833 www.themeans.co.uk