ONE YEAR ON: - Kent County Council

Final Report of the Sandwich Economic Development Task Force 

to HM Government 

ONE YEAR ON: 

Building a new future for Discovery 

Park and East Kent

Foreword 

By Paul Carter 

Chairman of the Sandwich Economic Development Task Force 

In February last year, the outlook for 

the East Kent economy looked bleak, 

following Pfizer’s decision to exit its 

Sandwich research and development 

facility. 

East Kent –and the UK as a whole – 

was faced with the loss of world‐class 

facilities and one of the country’s 

most highly skilled workforces, with 

businesses in the supply chain also at 

risk . 

Science Minister David Willetts asked 

me to chair a Task Force to lead the 

recovery. There was no time to wait: 

people’s jobs and livelihoods were at 

stake. 

This report plots the activity and 

substantial progress made in the past 

year, and sets out our ambitious 

plans for the future. 

There are excellent opportunities for 

the future of the site as a global 

centre for scientific research. Pfizer 

has entered into a period of 

exclusivity for the sale of Discovery 

Park as an R&D‐led multiple use 

campus. Over 800 jobs have been 

retained or created at Discovery 

Park, with Pfizer retaining a core 

pharmaceutical science presence. A 

£24 million package of flood 

defences has been secured, 

protecting both Sandwich town and 

Discovery Park, with substantial 

contributions from KCC, DEFRA and 

Pfizer themselves. 

We have secured a £35 million 

package from the Regional Growth 

Fund to support growth in the East 

Kent economy – providing finance 

direct to businesses with the appetite 

for expansion and job creation. A 

further £5 million in RGF investment 

will cut journey times to Thanet on 

High Speed One to within an hour. 

2

Foreword 

We have also secured a 

comprehensive package of support 

for business on the site. From April 

this year, businesses locating at 

Discovery Park will benefit from 

Enterprise Zone status, with business 

rate discounts and planning 

flexibilities. New research‐intensive 

start‐ups are also already benefiting 

from top‐quality premises, access to 

finance and business development 

advice. 

So despite challenging economic 

times, I am confident that we have 

made a quantum leap forward in 

achieving our core objective: 

ensuring a bright future ahead for 

Sandwich and the East Kent 

economy. Yet none of this could have 

been achieved without the 

commitment and resolve of national 

and local government and Pfizer, 

with substantial input from local 

MPs, universities and expert advisors 

working collaboratively to develop 

solutions to the challenges we faced. 

The foundations for a new economic 

future have been laid in East Kent. 

Paul Carter 

Leader, Kent County Council 

Chairman, Sandwich Economic 

Development Task Force 

I am enormously grateful to all those 

who have given their time and 

creative energy in support of the 

Task Force and who have helped to 

deliver such positive results. 

3

1. Challenges to opportunities 

Subject to the sale of Discovery Park, this is the final report by the Sandwich Economic 

Development Task Force to Government. One year on from the creation of the Task Force, it 

sets out the progress that has been made in supporting Pfizer staff and contractors and in 

establishing a new future for the newly‐named Discovery Park site and the wider East Kent 

and national economies. 

This first section sets out how the Task Force responded to the challenge of Pfizer’s decision 

to exit Sandwich. Section 2 highlights the progress we have made and the key achievements 

of the past year. Section 3 outlines Discovery Park’s exciting future and sets out the work 

that will be taken forward to ensure that the potential of Discovery Park is fully realised. 

Finally, Section 4 highlights the lessons we have learned from the Task Force experience in 

the hope that they may be helpful to other places faced with major economic challenges. 

Facing the challenge 

Pfizer has had a presence in East Kent 

since the 1950s. By the start of 2011, its 

Sandwich site employed around 2,400 

people, all supporting research and 

development activity and making it the 

largest private sector employer in East 

Kent. So when Pfizer announced on 1 

February 2011 that it intended to exit 

Sandwich, we were presented with a 

major challenge. 

The exit decision came at a difficult time 

for East Kent, coinciding with significant 

anticipated public sector job losses and 

other industrial closures. Independent 

analysis estimated that there would be a 

total of 7,800 combined job losses 

across East Kent to the end of 2011, 

rising to 12,200 by 2018. Those directly 

affected included some of East Kent’s 

most highly skilled staff, reflecting 

Pfizer’s unique importance within the 

local economy. 

Pfizer’s exit decision reflected long 

term changes in the global structure of 

the pharmaceutical industry. Large 

pharmaceutical firms such as Pfizer, 

AstraZeneca and GSK are all spreading 

their risk, reducing the amount of 

research and development activity 

undertaken in‐house and changing the 

R&D model. This is continuing to affect 

large, high‐value R&D facilities 

throughout Europe and North America: 

most recently, AstraZeneca announced 

R&D job cuts at its Alderley Park facility 

in Cheshire 

The challenge presented by Pfizer’s exit 

was therefore both national and local. 

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Nationally, global change in the 

pharmaceutical industry puts at risk the 

UK’s long‐standing comparative 

advantage in the sector: so adapting to 

change while retaining talent is clearly 

in the national interest. Locally, the 

potential loss of Pfizer threatened the 

core of the East Kent economy, 

impacting on direct employment, the 

supply chain, skills base and the future 

of a world‐class site. 

Seizing the opportunities 

Although Pfizer’s decision to exit 

presented an economic challenge, it 

also created new opportunities. 

Discovery Park is a unique site, well 

connected to significantly improved 

transport infrastructure and with over 3 

million sq ft of high‐quality, modern 

stock of business accommodation. East 

Kent as a whole also offers an excellent 

quality of life, with competitive 

residential prices, a high quality 

environment, while the area’s schools, 

colleges and cluster of universities are 

of excellent standard. East Kent is an 

attractive place to live, work and invest. 

There have also been examples of 

former large scale research and 

development facilities that have found 

new futures after industrial 

restructuring. The regeneration of 

research facilities as diverse modern 

incubator centres and science parks in 

the UK, Europe and the United States 

gave early cause for optimism. 

Understanding the challenge 

During our first month, the Task 

Force visited The Heath at Runcorn, 

a large former single‐occupancy R&D 

facility once owned by chemicals 

giant ICI. More than ten years 

following ICI’s exit from the site, The 

Heath now employs 2,000 people 

within 160 businesses and competes 

successfully as an entirely privately 

financed facility with other science 

parks in the local area. 

It took courage from former facilities 

management staff and several years 

of hard work and commitment for 

The Heath to rebuild to its current 

scale – but it showed us what could 

be achieved with a long term vision 

and a pragmatic approach focused 

not just on a property transaction, 

but on developing a co‐ordinated 

R&D‐focused offer. 

Reasons for optimism 

“In East Kent, we already have a strong 

knowledge base… and excellent 

infrastructure, educational and quality 

of life assets. The Task Force believes 

that Pfizer’s exit from the Sandwich site 

gives us a unique opportunity to build 

on these to generate a new economic 

future” 

Sandwich Economic Development Task 

Force 

First Report, March 2011 

5


Task Force members also worked 

together and with Pfizer to understand 

the impact on staff and the community, 

with the Chairman and Laura Sandys 

MP meeting with staff and contractors. 

We also met with venture capitalists 

and industry experts to understand 

what could be done to support new 

business growth. 

Making it happen 

The Task Force aimed to: 

• Support those affected by Pfizer’s 

exit in finding new employment 

• Retain the local skills base 

• Establish a new future for the 

Sandwich site; and 

• Stimulate wider economic 

opportunities in East Kent 

The Task Force recognised from the 

start that managing the impact of the 

exit and developing a new economic 

future for East Kent would be a five to 

ten year journey. Immediately, there 

was a need to focus on supporting 

Pfizer staff, contractors and the local 

community –making sure that support 

offered through the public sector was 

joined up with that provided by Pfizer. 

We were also faced with the immediate 

issue of ensuring the viability of the site, 

faced with an urgent need to improve 

flood defences to ensure that it retained 

investment potential. 

The Task Force: Members 

Paul Carter, Kent County Council 

(Chairman) 

Rob Bennett, BBP Regeneration 

Dr Annette Doherty, Pfizer 

Mark Florman, British Venture Capital 

Association 

Prof Dame Julia Goodfellow, University 

of Kent 

Sir Brandon Gough, Locate in Kent 

Laura Sandys, MP 

Paul Watkins, Leader of Dover District 

Council 

With support from BIS, DCLG, Jobcentre 

Plus and the Task Force member 

organisations 

But from the start, the Task Force also 

needed to consider the longer term 

future of the Sandwich site and the 

wider economy, recognising the urgent 

need to retain the skills base and 

attract quality investment into the site 

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“When we established the Task Force, we were clear that we 

had to retain the skills of Pfizer staff, create a new future for 

the Discovery Park site and secure investment in the 

infrastructure and business support needed to spur economic 

growth… 

After a year of joint working, we can report real achievements, 

on which we must build” 

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2. Progress so far 

Since the Task Force was established, we can report strong progress in delivering our 

objectives. This section sets out the Task Force’s key achievements and the progress that we 

have made in securing new investment and job creation at Discovery Park and throughout 

East Kent. 

Retaining and creating jobs 

To date, over 800 jobs have been 

retained or created at Discovery Park. 

A major step forward was made in June 

2011, with Pfizer’s decision to retain 

part of its pharmaceutical science 

operation at Sandwich, preserving 

around 350 jobs to support the 

development of products in Pfizer’s mid 

and late stage pipeline. 

Since then, Pfizer have announced the 

retention of a further 350 jobs in 

Medical Regulatory and Safety, Clinical 

Pharmacology, Pharmacometrics, 

Global Supply Quality Assurance, 

Commercial Business Units and 

Business Support Functions. This 

decision by Pfizer to continue activity at 

Discovery Park retains a strong 

scientific core at the site. Overall, 650 

jobs have been retained by Pfizer at 

Discovery Park 

• Mylan, the world’s third largest 

generics company, has signed a 

licensing agreement with Pfizer and is 

establishing a Respiratory Centre of 

Excellence at Discovery Park; 

• Peakdale, who provide synthetic 

chemistry services, are to retain an 

existing presence on site, sustaining 

around 50 jobs; 

• Unilabs, a subsidiary of York 

Bioanalytical Solutions, are also locating 

a satellite company on site. 

Building on this retained presence, a 

number of other science businesses 

have also announced that they will be 

located at Discovery Park: 

8


Pfizer has consolidated its presence 

on site into three buildings, including 

a science and technology building 

with state of the art laboratories, a 

pilot plant and a solid and liquid dose 

manufacturing facilities. 

The science and technology building 

is a multi‐occupancy building with 

Pfizer occupying space on the ground 

and first floors, with space allocated 

for Peakdale, Unilabs and Mylan. 

Space for colleague‐led start‐up and 

spin‐out companies on the second 

and third floors. In total, over 800 

jobs have been retained at Discovery 

Park to date. 

Establishing new businesses 

The skills of Pfizer’s workforce are a 

key asset to Discovery Park and East 

Kent –and harnessing them to 

develop new businesses is essential 

in developing a more diverse, 

research‐intensive business mix. 

Pfizer put in place support for staff 

seeking to establish their own 

businesses, with events run by the 

British Venture Capital Association 

and the Pfizer Venture Group 

offering advice to staff in accessing 

start‐up finance alongside the 

support in accessing new 

employment offered by Pfizer and 

Jobcentre Plus. 

In addition, High Growth Kent, a KCCfunded 

business coaching service for 

companies with the potential for rapid 

growth now has a permanent presence at 

Discovery Park and is supporting a 

number of new spin‐out proposals. 

Improving opportunities for life 

science: The Government’s role 

The UK is a world leader in life sciences. 

Combined, the pharmaceuticals, 

medical biotechnology and medical 

technology sectors have an annual UK 

turnover of over £50 billion, and 

employ around 165,000 staff. 

With the life sciences sector 

experiencing rapid global change, the 

Government launched the Strategy for 

UK Life Sciences in December 2011, 

setting out new measures to make it 

easier to commercialise academic 

research, promote the UK as a place to 

invest, attract talent and incentivise 

investment in R&D. Last year’s Budget 

also improved the tax environment for 

research and development, increasing 

the R&D tax allowance for small and 

medium enterprises to 225% from 

2012. 

This could have a positive impact on 

R&D business starts emerging from 

Pfizer, and making the UK an 

increasingly competitive location for 

life science investment will help 

Discovery Park reach its potential as a 

major contributor to the national 

economy. 

9


At present, over a dozen companies 

have been established or are in the 

process of being established by 

entrepreneurs emerging from Pfizer 

and are seeking venture capital and 

other forms of initial finance. The first 

few months will be critical in enabling 

new ventures to get off the ground and 

Pfizer has made dedicated space 

available for new starts at Discovery 

Park. In addition, Kent County Council 

established an Accelerator Grant 

scheme for businesses at Discovery 

Park, offering grants of up to £20,000 

for new research‐intensive companies, 

linked with extra support from the High 

Growth Kent team jointly funded by 

KCC and Jobcentre Plus. With the 

scheme opened to applications in 

January, the first grants will be awarded 

in March. 

Incentives for growth 

In our first report to Government, 

submitted in March 2011, the Task 

Force proposed the creation of a 

‘research, technology and enterprise 

zone’, offering a combination of tax 

incentives and financial support to 

attract new investment at Discovery 

Park. 

Coming into effect from April 2012, 

the Discovery Park Enterprise Zone 

means that all businesses locating on 

the site will be eligible for business 

rate discounts of up to £55,000 per 

year for five years. In addition, the 

Enterprise Zone will offer a simplified 

planning regime to new investors, 

and Dover District Council is currently 

working as quickly as possible to put 

in place a Local Development Order 

to enable this. 

A major financial incentive package 

has also been secured with the 

award of £35 million from the 

Government’s Regional Growth 

Fund to establish Expansion East 

Kent, a programme of finance 

support to business. The programme 

will be launched in April, and will 

provide part‐funding to businesses 

seeking to invest in East Kent to 

create new jobs, including inward 

investors. The programme aims to 

unlock private sector finance, 

stimulating over £300 million in 

associated investment over the 

course of the next three years and 

creating a major boost for the East 

Kent economy. 

When the Government launched its 

own Enterprise Zone scheme in May, 

the Task Force applied for Discovery 

Park to be designated as a Zone. Kent 

County Council and Dover District 

Council played a major role in ensuring 

that the South East Local Enterprise 

Partnership recognised Discovery Park 

as its top Enterprise Zone priority and 

EZ status was granted in the summer. 

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New investment for business: Expansion East Kent 

Finance through the £35 million Expansion East Kent scheme will be available to business 

throughout the districts of Canterbury, Dover, Shepway and Thanet – including businesses 

based at Discovery Park. Businesses in most sectors of the economy are eligible to apply, 

but all proposals must: 

• Directly deliver a specific investment project 

• Clearly lead to additional job creation 

• Bring forward private sector funding (Expansion East Kent will generally cover no more 

than 35% of project costs, and less in some cases) 

Recognising the importance to the East Kent economy of its existing strengths in life 

sciences and environmental and renewable energy technologies –and the prospects for 

future growth ‐ applications to Expansion East Kent are especially encouraged. The 

programme will be open to applications shortly –see www.kent.gov.uk/businessgrants for 

more details. 

Protecting Sandwich 

Securing a flood defence scheme for 

Sandwich town and Discovery Park 

had been a priority prior to the 

announcement of Pfizer’s exit.. 

Protecting the site against flooding 

was critical to the future of Discovery 

Park. It was therefore a testament to 

joint working and shared objectives 

when in summer 2011, the 

Environment Agency, Pfizer and Kent 

County Council agreed to a funding 

package worth £24 million which will 

offer 1 in 200 year flood protection 

to Discovery Park and Sandwich 

town. Work will begin in 2013, 

providing security both to the 

community and future owners and 

occupiers of the site. 

Bringing East Kent closer to 

London 

The past year has also seen 

improvements to transport 

infrastructure which have built on 

major investment in recent years and 

improved accessibility to Discovery 

Park. 

The £117 million East Kent Access 

road scheme was completed in late 

2011, providing a direct dual 

carriageway link from Discovery Park 

to the motorway network. 

Rail connections have been 

improved, with direct trains from 

London St Pancras to Sandwich and 

Deal starting in September 2011, 

bringing Discovery Park to within 90 

minutes of central London. 

11

Current journey times 

Improved line speed 

“Rail connections have been improved, with direct trains from 

London St Pancras to Sandwich, bringing Discovery Park within 

90 minutes of central London – and £10 million investment to 

improve journey times on High Speed One” 

12


Most recently, following a proposal 

by the Task Force to the 

Government’s Regional Growth Fund, 

£5 million of investment (matched 

with a further £5 million from 

Network Rail) has been secured to 

improve the rail line between 

Ashford and Ramsgate to enhance 

the speed of High Speed One trains 

using the route and cutting journey 

times to within an hour. 

Supporting staff and the 

community 

Immediately, the Task Force needed 

to work closely with Pfizer to support 

staff into alternative employment. 

Pfizer provided a comprehensive 

outplacement service managed by 

the transition company DBM, 

offering a range of programmes to 

support staff on site. Pfizer also 

delivered a series of other support 

measures, including additional 

training, workshops, speaker sessions 

and two highly successful 

recruitment fairs. The recruitment 

fairs held on site welcomed over 140 

companies to the site to enable 

colleagues to find out about 

employment opportunities. 

Communicating with the community 

Pfizer's announcement in 

February caused shock waves across 

the whole community. Not only was 

Pfizer the biggest high‐skill employer 

locally, its use of local businesses and 

its support of local schools and 

community groups over many years 

had made it a massively valued 

corporate neighbour. 

Good communication locally was 

always going to be vital ‐ to employees, 

contractors and to the local 

community. In addition to Pfizer's own 

communications, this was assisted 

greatly by Laura Sandys and fellow East 

Kent MPs including local meetings in 

Sandwich with Task Force Chairman 

Paul Carter. 

On site, outplacement consultants 

DBM and Job Centre Plus were quickly 

established, job fairs for employees and 

contractors were attended in huge 

numbers and regular communications 

and comprehensive tracking ‐ including 

via Linked‐in and other social networks 

‐ were quickly established by Pfizer. At 

the same time, the local community 

welcomed Pfizer's ongoing 

commitment to local organisations . 

As local MP, Laura Sandys has remained 

an important bridge between company 

and community, championing local 

interests. Equally, the Task Force has 

tried to represent the interests of all 

those impacted by the job losses in its 

support of new employment and 

business growth opportunities. 

. 

13


To supplement Pfizer’s support of its 

colleagues, Jobcentre Plus’s Rapid 

Response Service has had a base on 

site, offering careers, selfemployment 

and training advice and 

advice in accessing benefits and 

Jobcentre Plus services. Jobcentre 

Plus have been a key part of the Task 

Force from the start, ensuring that 

public sector support was fully joined 

up with that offered by Pfizer. 

While many staff have sought new 

employment opportunities in the 

commercial world or are establishing 

new businesses, opportunities in the 

higher education sector have also 

been successfully promoted, linking 

commercial scientific skills with 

academic research. To ensure that 

skills training provision matched the 

needs of staff, contractors and those 

in the wider East Kent supply chain 

impacted by Pfizer’s exit, the Task 

Force quickly established a Skills Sub‐ 

Group, bringing together Pfizer, the 

local authorities, local Chambers of 

Commerce, business support 

organisations and the public sector. 

Much achieved 

When we established the Task Force, we 

were clear that we had to retain the skills 

of Pfizer staff, create a new future for the 

Discovery Park site and secure investment 

in the infrastructure and business support 

needed to spur economic growth. But in 

difficult economic times, and with the 

anticipated loss of East Kent’s largest 

private employer and its skills base and 

facilities, the prospects for success were 

very uncertain. After a year of joint 

working, we can report real 

achievements, on which we must build. 

The Sub‐Group has co‐ordinated 

information to thousands of local 

businesses to signpost them to 

sources of advice and support. It has 

also been successful in securing 

additional funds through the 

European Social Fund to provide 

retraining and up‐skilling support 

through Canterbury College, 

K College and Thanet College. 

14 

.

Launching the Discovery Park Enterprise Zone, August 2011 

Left to right: Rt Hon David Willetts MP (Minister of State for Universities and Science); Rt Hon Greg Clark 

MP (Minister of State for Decentralisation and Cities); Dr Annette Doherty (Pfizer), Paul Carter (Leader, 

Kent County Council), Rt Hon George Osborne MP (Chancellor of the Exchequer), Laura Sandys MP, 

Charlie Elphicke MP 

“With current employment at Discovery Park exceeding our 

original expectations, Pfizer maintaining a core presence and 

with a number of new businesses already locating and starting 

up on the site, the prospects for Discovery Park under new 

ownership are strong” 

15

3. An exciting future 

The Task Force has met and exceeded its original goals. Much has been achieved in the past 

year and the foundations have been laid for Discovery Park to reach its full potential. This 

section considers the next phase of transition from a single‐use site to a more diverse, 

research‐focused future focused on the opportunities of life sciences and environmental 

technologies 

Towards new ownership 

Earlier this year, Pfizer announced that it 

had entered a period of legal exclusivity 

with London and Metropolitan, for the 

sale of Discovery Park. This follows 

global marketing of the site and strong 

interest from a number of potential 

investors, and is evidence of the 

potential that the private sector sees in 

the high quality facility. 

Task Force members are working to 

understand and anticipate the key issues 

for Discovery Park, including the 

preparation of a Local Development 

Order and establishing how the package 

of Enterprise Zone and other incentives 

can best support high‐value, researchintensive 

business growth on the site. 

With current employment at Discovery 

Park exceeding our original expectations, 

Pfizer retaining a core presence and with 

a number of new businesses already 

locating and starting up on the site, the 

prospects for Discovery Park under a 

new owner are strong . 

Sustaining Discovery Park 

through the transition 

With world‐class research and business 

premises in a modern campus, 

Discovery Park is a unique location. 

Over time, as start‐ups expand and new 

businesses are attracted, it has the 

potential to become a major centre of 

employment once again, focused on life 

science and other R&D. 

However, with 3 million sq ft of high 

quality R&D business space, part of 

Discovery Park will be empty over the 

short to medium term. As empty 

properties are currently liable for 

business rates, there will be a 

substantial cost ‐ which could provide a 

negative incentive to demolish some 

buildings, even though they will be 

valuable in the longer term. 

16


There is a strong case for reducing 

(or eliminating altogether) business 

rates on empty properties given the 

perverse incentives that they 

provide. Many organisations, 

including the CBI, are arguing 

persuasively for this. However, any 

decision to change the business rates 

regime will obviously need to be 

taken nationally by Treasury. In the 

shorter term, the Task Force urges 

Government and its agencies to take 

as pragmatic approach as possible 

within the constraints of the current 

system, to ensure that the future 

potential of Discovery Park –which 

we all recognise –is not diminished. 

The transition from a single‐use site 

to an R&D‐led multiple‐use campus 

could also be assisted through 

enhanced capital allowances on 

plant and machinery. Some 

Enterprise Zones have been offered 

enhanced capital allowances by 

Government, where it is clear that 

they will make a real difference in 

attracting major investors. 

Government has already indicated 

that it is willing to consider a 

proposal for enhanced capital 

allowances to benefit Discovery Park, 

and Task Force members will 

continue to work with the new 

owners to take this forward. 

Actively marketing the East 

Kent offer 

With a substantial package of financial 

support to business through Expansion 

East Kent, considerable opportunities 

for growth in the life science, energy, 

environmental technology, tourism, 

food science, land management and 

higher education sectors and 

continued investment in transport 

infrastructure, the appeal of East Kent 

as an investment location is 

compelling. 

However, we need to ensure that East 

Kent offer is effectively promoted. In 

particular, the quality and scale of 

Discovery Park is of global significance, 

and it will be competing for 

investment in an international market. 

Locate in Kent is already highly 

successful in attracting inward 

investment to East Kent , securing 

over £125 million in investment over 

the past five years generating over 

3,800 jobs, and has worked closely 

with Pfizer and its agents in marketing 

Discovery Park –and will continue to 

work with Pfizer’s successors. But in a 

highly competitive investment 

environment, it is crucial that 

Discovery Park’s unique appeal – 

linked with the opportunities at 

Manston and elsewhere in East Kent ‐ 

is actively and ruthlessly promoted 

globally through UK Trade and 

Investment as part of an integrated 

East Kent offer. 

17


A positive future for East Kent 

With improved rail infrastructure, 

Thanet and Dover will be as close to 

London as Oxford and Cambridge –and 

with competitive residential and 

commercial prices, a high quality 

coastline, heritage, rural environment, 

flourishing cultural scene and a superb 

knowledge base, East Kent has great 

potential for future economic growth. 

Much is being done to unlock this 

potential. The Turner Contemporary 

opened in Margate in 2011, a 

nationally‐ renowned symbol of the 

town’s creative renaissance. Enjoying 

300,000 visitors in its first nine months, 

Turner Contemporary has already 

helped to support 52 new businesses in 

Thanet. Increasingly, East Kent is 

proving to be a magnet for new 

creative businesses, attracted by the 

area’s dynamism, competitive pricing 

and quality of life. 

East Kent’s university cluster is a 

further key asset as the economy 

demands ever higher skill levels. With 

over 30,000 students, Canterbury has 

one of the UK’s highest concentrations 

of higher education activity –creating a 

pool of talent, innovation and 

creativity. 

Working together with KCC and its 

investment promotion arm Locate in 

Kent and other partners, Damian 

Collins MP together with the other 

East Kent MPs is working to develop 

a marketing approach for the area to 

maximise its potential. 

Backing innovation. 

Discovery Park has a sixty year track 

record of groundbreaking innovation, 

with many of Pfizer’s top 

pharmaceutical products originating 

at Sandwich. With businesses keen to 

stay at Discovery Park, a cluster of 

universities at Canterbury and an 

increasingly business‐focused schools 

offer, we are optimistic that this 

innovative spirit can be retained and 

grown in East Kent. 

However, we do not yet have in East 

Kent the concentration of highgrowth 

businesses and high‐value 

employment that the UK’s most 

innovative places enjoy. 

The Task Force has demonstrated 

that through a practical partnership 

between local government leaders, 

the private sector and higher 

education, much can be achieved. 

We need to build on this ‐ making the 

most of our university presence, 

securing higher education 

involvement from beyond Kent and 

ensuring that public sector financial 

support backs growing businesses to 

realise the innovative potential of 

Discovery Park. 

18

Clockwise from top left: Sandwich; University of Kent at Canterbury; Turner Contemporary at Margate; 

Port of Dover. 

“The appeal of East Kent as an investment location is 

compelling… It is crucial that Discovery Park’s unique appeal is 

actively promoted globally as part of an integrated offer for 

the rest of East Kent” 

19

4. Key lessons 

Industrial change is an inevitable part of a dynamic economy. So it is important that local 

economies are able to adapt, plan for new futures and support the community. What can 

other parts of the country affected by major economic shocks learn from our experience at 

Sandwich? This section sets out the lessons that we have learnt and can share with others. 

Task Forces: A response to 

economic change 

The Sandwich Task Force is not unique. 

Many multi‐agency task forces have 

been set up by places affected by 

immediate economic shocks, often with 

Government support, both to coordinate 

a response to the people and 

businesses immediately affected by 

change and to plan for the future of the 

local economy. So establishing a task 

force at Sandwich was a natural 

response . 

However, some task forces are more 

successful than others. What worked at 

Sandwich? We have identified seven 

lessons for the future. 

Lesson 1: We had clear political 

leadership to galvanise action 

The Sandwich Task Force benefited from 

clear political leadership from the start, 

under the chairmanship of the Leader of 

Kent County Council and with very active 

involvement by David Willetts, the 

Leader of Dover District Council and the 

local Member of Parliament. 

This demonstrated the importance that 

local and national government attached 

to the Task Force and its role – 

responding to the challenges and 

opportunities of Discovery Park was a 

top priority from the start, and this was 

reflected in the focus that the Task 

Force retained over the course of the 

year . 

Lesson 2: We engaged with all 

the key partners 

The Sandwich Task Force was not just a 

government construct –and it would 

not have worked if it had been. Pfizer 

was a key member of the Task Force 

right from the start. This proved 

enormously important in ensuring that 

public sector actions to support staff 

and the wider community were coordinated 

with Pfizer’s; in ensuring that 

all partners had accurate information; 

and in achieving a joined‐up approach 

to the marketing of the site. All of the 

Task Force partners had a role in taking 

forward actions arising from the Task 

Force . 

20


Support from Ministers and 

Government 

Critical to the Task Force’s success has 

been its excellent relationship with 

Government. Cross‐departmental 

support and the personal commitment 

of Ministers and MPs to assist has been 

pivotal in maintaining momentum and 

overcoming issues that threatened the 

Task Force’s progress. 

Spearheaded by Laura Sandys in 

Westminster and by Paul Carter in 

Whitehall, this began in parliamentary 

debate and select committee evidence 

and progressed through numerous 

Ministerial . offices, with BIS, DCLG, DfT, 

DEFRA, DECC, DWP and the Treasury all 

closely involved and highly supportive. 

Securing such support required ongoing 

communication . 

and contact in 

Westminster in the relentless pursuit of 

Task Force objectives. No opportunity 

was lost by Laura Sandys, Paul Carter, 

Task Force members and East Kent MPs 

to press the case for Discovery Park and 

for business growth in East Kent. 

At an early stage, the Task Force 

considered the likely phases of the 

transition, moving from an 

immediate focus on supporting 

existing staff, through attracting new 

investment, to developing a broader 

strategy for the economy of East 

Kent. Supported by an independent 

analysis of the economic impact of 

Pfizer’s exit decision, this helped to 

focus the work of the Task Force. 

Lesson 4: We set clear 

deadlines to maintain 

momentum. 

The Task Force was asked by the 

Secretary of State to report after one 

month with recommendations for 

action. We met this deadline, and 

reported again on progress after 

three and six months 

This regular reporting was helpful in 

clarifying the Task Force’s key actions 

and ensuring that progress was being 

made. It also helped the Task Force 

to test new ideas –for example, our 

proposal in our first report for a 

‘research, innovation and technology 

zone’ informed the later successful 

bid for Enterprise Zone designation. 

Lesson 3: We worked out the 

right actions to take 

Naturally, there is pressure to take 

urgent action in the immediate 

aftermath of a major economic 

shock. But it can take time to 

understand where to focus action. 

21


. 

Working together: Resolving flood risk 

issues 

The risk of flooding presented a major 

challenge to Discovery Park’s future 

viability. Working across Government 

(involving BIS, DEFRA and the 

Environment Agency) together with 

Kent County Council and Pfizer, the 

Task Force attracted a £24 million 

package protecting Sandwich town and 

the site. 

Lesson 5: We made major 

investments – but minimised 

development costs 

Most of the preparatory work 

supported by the Task Force – 

including the preparation of major 

funding proposals, reports to 

Government and the development of 

the Local Development Order –has 

been carried out with internal local 

resources. The Task Force kept 

external consultancy support to a 

focused minimum, reducing costs 

and ensuring joint ownership 

Lesson 6: We had a common 

vision 

Although the Task Force was set up 

as a response to Pfizer’s planned exit, 

we were clear that we needed to 

take a broader view of the challenges 

and opportunities for East Kent. The 

mature partnership that exists across 

the East Kent local authorities 

ensured that the Task Force saw 

Discovery Park as an integral part of 

the East Kent investment offer. 

Lesson 7: We had strong 

strategic support from the 

private sector 

The broader private sector in East 

Kent was also important in 

supporting the work of the Task 

Force. In particular, the Task Force’s 

successful bid to the Government’s 

Regional Growth Fund for the 

Expansion East Kent programme and 

line speed enhancement was greatly 

reinforced by extensive consultation 

with ‐ and endorsement by –the 

business community. 

The business‐led Local Enterprise 

Partnership backed our bid for 

Enterprise Zone status. As the work 

of the Task Force is continued 

through the Enterprise Zone Board 

and the Expansion East Kent Board, 

this strong business role will become 

especially important. 

Forward with optimism 

Finally, the Task Force owes a debt of 

gratitude to all its members –and 

central Government ‐ who have 

driven forward progress over the 

past year. There is a long road ahead 

to fully achieve Discovery Park’s 

potential –and the employment and 

growth that East Kent needs. But we 

have laid solid foundations, and with 

a joint commitment to the future of 

East Kent, the Task Force ends a year 

of challenge and progress with 

optimism. 

22

“There is a long road ahead to fully achieve Discovery Park’s 

potential. But we have laid solid foundations and the Task 

Force ends a year of challenge and progress with optimism” 

23

Summary: Challenges to opportunities 

The challenge we faced 

•Potential loss of East Kent’s largest –and highest‐value employer 

• 2,400 jobs potentially lost and over 12,000 jobs impacted across East 

Kent 

•Nearly £700 million potentially lost to the East Kent economy 

•UK’s position as a leading innovator in life sciences threatened 

•3 million sq ft of top quality lab space at risk 

Achievements: 12 months on 

•Over 800 jobs retained or created on site – including Pfizer’s 

pharmaceutical science operation and employment at Mylan, 

Peakdale and Unilabs 

• £35 million package of financial support for business secured through 

Regional Growth Fund –a direct boost to jobs and business 

• Coordinated programme of employment advice and start‐up support – 

linking support from Pfizer with support from government 

• £24 million flood defence package secured for Discovery Park and 

Sandwich town –protecting jobs and stimulating the economy 

• Discovery Park declared an Enterprise Zone –with tax incentives for 

new businesses and support from Government 

• £10 million scheme in place to deliver High Speed rail to Sandwich and 

East Kent – cutting journey times to London to within an hour 

•Direct rail connections from London to Sandwich running since 

September 2011 

•12 new start‐up companies in development on site –and package of 

Accelerator Grant support in place 

24

Summary Challenges to opportunities 

Our ambitions for the future 

• Supporting the ambitions of preferred bidder London and 

Metropolitan, transforming Discovery Park into a world‐class science 

and technology park 

• Marketing and promoting East Kent’s potential to the world 

• Maximising the impact of the Regional Growth Fund – delivering 

excellent support to East Kent businesses and investors 

•Working with higher education in East Kent and beyond to support 

innovation and growth 

• Putting life sciences at the heart of UK Government economic policy – 

and at the centre of East Kent’s future 

A long‐term vision 

•A R&D‐led multiple‐use campus 

•Over 2,600 jobs on site –with potential for future expansion 

• Connected to the world with excellent road, rail and air links 

•At the heart of an innovative and growing East Kent economy 

•Growing world‐class skills, world‐class research and world‐class jobs 

25

The Sandwich Economic Development Task Force: 

Paul Carter, Leader of Kent County Council (Chairman) 

Rob Bennett, BBP Regeneration 

Dr Annette Doherty, Pfizer 

Mark Florman, British Venture Capital Association 

Prof Dame Julia Goodfellow, University of Kent 

Sir Brandon Gough, Locate in Kent 

Laura Sandys, MP 

Paul Watkins, Leader of Dover District Council 

Supported by BIS, DCLG, Jobcentre Plus and the 

Task Force member organisations

ONE YEAR ON: - Kent County Council

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