Core Strategy Preferred Options document - Amazon Web Services

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Characteristics, Issues and Opportunities infilling and intensification existing settlements can sustain without their character being adversely affected. The development of additional housing will have the potential to deliver affordable housing to meet the current shortfall, in order to supply housing for local community need. This will only happen, however, if planning policies are in place to ensure a proportion of the housing developed is affordable. The release of land for housing provides an opportunity to ensure that infrastructure is developed alongside it that benefits residents of both existing dwellings and those that will be developed. Planning obligations and the community infrastructure levy provide a mechanism to ensure that the required infrastructure accompanies all new development. Economy Rochford has a small, but reasonably productive, and enterprising economy. Although the District does not record significant levels of ‘high skills’, a solid foundation of basic and intermediate skills underpins the local economy, and supports a healthy share of knowledge-driven jobs. Rochford District is a generally prosperous part of the country, despite only a modest share of resident ‘knowledge workers’, the typically higher paid employees. This is reflected in reasonably low deprivation, excellent health conditions among the District’s population (although some pockets of poorer health in the more urban areas are evident), and one of the lowest crime rates in the country. Issues and Opportunities The small economic scale, modest levels of high skills and local competition may be undermining the sustainability of the Rochford economy; resulting in Rochford ranked within the lowest quartile of local districts by its economic change score. In addition, data at the ward level shows some evidence of an economic divide between urban and rural areas; this is particularly noticeable in levels of skills, where wards close to the coast have significantly lower levels of skills than wards close to the town centres. The economy of the District is dominated by the service sector with over three-quarters of those employed in the District working in this sector. This is, however, a smaller proportion than that of either the region or the country. Although the District is predominantly rural, the proportion of local businesses involved in agricultural activities is low, constituting a fraction over 3% of VAT registered businesses in Rochford District compared to national and regional figures of a fraction over 5% and over 5.5%, respectively. 16
Characteristics, Issues and Opportunities The direction of travel for the local economy is not as positive as many other local authorities in the UK. Rochford relies on jobs in manufacturing to a greater degree than nationally and regionally, yet this is the sector which is shrinking the most due to changes in the economy. However, type of manufacturing is important and Rochford contains specialist manufacturing which continues to perform well. Business enterprise in the District is largely made up of smaller firms, with nearly three-quarters of businesses employing between 0 and 4 people. This is above the national average. Conversely, the District contains few businesses that employ large numbers of people. A higher than average proportion of the workforce are employed in manufacturing. However, in recent years this sector has seen a greater loss in jobs than any other sector in the District. The more highly paid knowledge workers (with higher weekly incomes) are found mainly along the borders of Basildon and around Rochford town centre – giving rise to another rural-urban divide in the District. Higher levels of deprivation are found in the more rural parts of Rochford. A high proportion of the Rochford workforce commutes out of the District. 30% travel to work in Southend, 14% to London, 9% to Basildon and about 15% travel elsewhere outside the District. London Southend Airport is located within the District and has the potential to be a focus for economic growth around aviation-related industries. The Thames Gateway is a national priority for regeneration and growth and is identified in the Government’s Sustainable Communities plan as one of the growth areas for new housing in the South East. The vision for Thames Gateway South Essex is focused on the creation of sustainable communities that make the most of the unique characteristics of South Essex. Rochford District is recognised as an area for developing leisure, recreation and tourism activities and in particular is key to the development and expansion of the Green Grid – the connection of residential areas with green spaces. Rochford District’s proximity to engines of economic growth – London, South East knowledge economy etc – together with improvements in technology and the more rural quality of life available in the District – provide economic opportunities. Transport Rochford has 3 strategic trunk routes in or around its boundary, namely the A130, A127 and A13. The A127 and A13 run directly to London, a main commuter and employment destination. There are also 3 train stations located in the District, which provide a direct service to London Liverpool Street. 17
Page 1: Rochford District Council October 2
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