Economic growth on the agenda at South and Vale
Delegates from the Oxford Growth Commission got a whistle stop tour to see first-hand where South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse are helping to supercharge economic growth in the area.
The tour on Tuesday began with a trip to Milton Park, the largest single ownership business park in the country. As part of Science Vale, Milton Park is home to some of the most innovative companies in the country working at the cutting edge of technology.
It recently adopted an award-winning and ground-breaking updated Local Development Order which has allowed new developments to be fast tracked at the business park, which helps to provide opportunities businesses and the local economy to grow. There has been an LDO in place at Milton Park now for more than a decade, helping the park be at the forefront of creating jobs and career opportunities for residents. This part of the tour included a brief stop at the Nebula development on Milton Park, which has wooden structural beams and is aiming to be awarded an excellent sustainability certificate form its design.
After Milton Park, it was off to Berinsfield, before visiting Dalton Barracks and then Didcot, all of which have Garden status or have been allocated as a Garden site. The Garden Village/Town status has allowed Government funding to go toward community projects, such as regeneration in Berinsfield and improving access to green spaces in Didcot. It also helped put Didcot at the front of the queue for the significant pools of government cash like the Housing Infrastructure Fund, which will provide much-needed road and sustainable active travel improvements for the area, unlocking housing growth and boosting the economy. The sites are also providing much-needed affordable homes as part of new housing developments.
In between visits to Garden sites, the delegates enjoyed a trip to Abingdon and Witney College’s Net Zero Skills Hub and Advanced Skills centre. The centre offers specialist training for local people and supports growth in the area, but more capacity is needed.
Suzanne Malcolm, Deputy Chief Executive (Place) of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils, said: “I was delighted to welcome Neale Coleman (chair of the Oxford Growth Commission) and his team to South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse districts and to showcase a snapshot of the exciting projects we have in progress in the districts supporting sustainable economic growth across Oxfordshire and beyond.”
The Oxford Growth Commission was set up in May by the government to support the delivery of infrastructure, housing and employment to unleash Oxford and Oxfordshire’s economic power.
