Letchworths Economic Future Business roundtable January 2020 - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Letchworth’s Economic Future Business roundtable – January 2020

Welcome Graham Fisher │ CEO, Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation

Welcome Adrian Hawkins │ Deputy Chair, Hertfordshire LEP

Running a Business in Letchworth Garden City 21 st January 2020 Dianne Lee, Managing Director Confidential | DLRC Ltd

Overview • DLRC: who we are and what we do • Office Locations • Challenges with Hiring Personnel • Staff locations • Challenges with Infrastructure • Biggest Headache as an employer • Good things • Questions Confidential | DLRC Ltd

DLRC: Who we are and what we do • Regulatory Affairs Consultancy • Currently 55 staff • Supporting Pharma globally • Clinical Research • Pharmaceutical Development • Chemicals, Biotechnology, Advanced therapies Confidential | DLRC Ltd

Office Locations • 2005 – 2007 Pixmore Centre (190 ft 2 ) Managed • 2007 – 2009 Suite 401E, Nexus building (320 ft 2 ) Managed • 2009 – 2011 Suite 401F, Nexus Building (720 ft 2 ) Managed • 2011 – 2014 Suite 106, Spirella Building (1300 ft 2 ) Managed • 2014 – 2019 Exeter House, Dunhams Lane (3540 ft 2 ) Non- managed • 2019 – 2029 Suite 201, Nexus Building (5500 ft 2 ) Managed (not IT) Confidential | DLRC Ltd

Challenges with Hiring Personnel • Qualifications – minimum degree level • Experience – specialists within a niche discipline • Location – nowhere is perfect • Relocation – difficult to persuade families to relocate • Family • Friend support network • Children already in school • Large majority of staff are female Confidential | DLRC Ltd

Staff Locations Three people already lived in Letchworth Three people have moved to Letchworth One person already lived in Fairfield Park One person moved to Lower Stondon Confidential | DLRC Ltd

Challenges with Infrastructure • Broadband (Vast improvement in the latest office from 30 to 300 MbpS) • IT (Cabling needed to be replaced) • A lot of staff commute so the A1(M) traffic and elsewhere in the South east can be a challenge as can unreliable trains • Lack of shops in the town centre makes it more difficult to sell the town for staff who might consider moving here Confidential | DLRC Ltd

Biggest Headache as an Employer • PARKING! • Broadway Plinston – low capacity • Broadway St Michaels – low capacity • Garden Square - 7am to 9pm • Extensive residents only parking even where there are adequate driveways and wide roads Confidential | DLRC Ltd

Good Things • Location of Letchworth is great • Close to the A1(M) • Near to Cambridge (AZ, Science Park, Granta Park, Gt Chesterford, Sanger Institute, Babraham Research Campus) • Near to Stevenage (Bioscience Catalyst, GSK etc) • Near to Welwyn Garden City (Roche etc) • Near to London • Near to London Luton and London Stanstead • Nexus Office • In the town centre • Near to the railway station • Two private secondary schools in town and prep schools in/nearby Confidential | DLRC Ltd

Any Questions? Confidential | DLRC Ltd

GARDEN CITY OF Challenges and opportunities THE FUTURE Mel Blackmore Managing Director Blackmores

Our greatest challenges are our most exciting opportunities (click on the link to play the video)

CLIMATE EMERGENCY • The magnitude of the Climate Emergency going mainstream • On 21May 2019, the North Herts District Council passed a Climate Emergency motion which pledged to do everything within the Council's power achieve zero carbon emissions in North Hertfordshire by 2030. • As one of the first councils to pass this motion, NHDC is leading the way on climate action • How can we support our business community to deal with this emergency?

A PATH TO REAL REFORM • Howard’s principles, set out in his 1898 publication, ‘To ‐ Morrow a Peaceful Path to Real Reform’ • Sought a social, community and economic model, where value is captured from land and reinvested back into the local community. • Combining the best elements of town and country through a ‘third way', by building a completely new self-sustaining settlement. • It is clear that Howard’s vision for real reform, resonates now, more than ever before.

HOWARD’S ECONOMIC MODEL • Howard's plans included access to greenspace around the new city, areas for the town's residents to grow their food, local electricity production and local employment opportunities, through encouraging industry to relocate from major cities. • Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation today owns and manages the 2,200 hectare Letchworth Garden City Estate. • How can we best protect, optimise efficiency and capitalise on these assets?

BUSINESS SNAPSHOT • Wide range of sectors • Healthy business community – 2,180 registered businesses. • Only 52 Organisations employ over 50 employees in Letchworth • Over 2,000 SME’s/Micro -businesses

NEED A COMMERCIALLY REALISTIC SOLUTION • Whilst environmental awareness about ‘acting responsibly’ is fairly strong, finding solutions that are realistic, relevant and tailored to the needs of Letchworth’s business community is somewhat more elusive. • Letchworth businesses need to be empowered with the knowledge that they are making meaningful change and that every single business, working in synergy together WILL make a difference. • We need to inspire lasting environmental change.

OPPORTUNITIES • Source locally – support local businesses and creatives • Reduce environmental impact – energy, waste, transport, water • Carbon neutral by 2050 • Be a leader in sustainability by 2050 • Recycle and reduce waste to landfill • Provide a Garden City Sustainability Programme - a framework for actions, that each and every 2,180 businesses can take in Letchworth, right here, right now.

SUSTAINING LETCHWORTH ACTION PACK • Sustaining Letchworth Directory – buy local campaign • 20 no cost actions that can be taken in 2020 • Environmental Policy and Action Plan Guidance • Water Management for Buildings • Waste Management for buildings • Sustainable Procurement Policy • Sustainable work spaces • Sustainable Travel Guide • Car sharing guide • Environmental Engagement Guide • How to be Carbon Neutral

OPPORTUNITIES • Sustainable procurement survey • Letchworth Garden City Directory • Broadway cinema screening environmentally aware films/documentaries • Bike pool schemes • Garden City Sustainability awards/certificates • Spirella – Sustainability Conference • Lottery funding grants – heritage buildings renovation • Sustainability workshops

GARDEN CITY OF THE Promote productivity and Foster an environment of Attract and retain talent diversity through workspace inclusivity FUTURE OPTIMISING OUR RESOURCES TO ATTRACT TALENT Flexible workspaces Optimal space – breakout Connecting a diverse range spaces, comfortable of tech and creative seating, communal areas entrepreneurs and meeting spaces

70% of agile organisations rank in the top quarter of organisational health, according to McKinsey. AGILE Property can also be agile, by allowing BUSINESS companies to adapt their portfolios as needed for the health and growth of their NEED AGILE businesses, while decreasing up-front capital investment and reducing risk. PREMISES Today, more than one-third of the Fortune 500 are leveraging WeWork’s agile property solutions to achieve their business goals.

ON-DEMAND ACCESS • Network of 500+ Global offices • Membership – purchase where needed • Great location – London, Cambridge • Event space

IDEAL CO-WORKING LOCATION CLOSE TO LONDON, CAMBRIDGE AND OXFORD

GARDEN OFFICE SPACE WITH THE WOW FACTOR

REDEFINING SUCCESS - PERSONAL FULFILMENT There’s a lot of research behind how taking breaks, participating in physical activity and socialising can help staff members recharge, think more creatively and build meaningful connections with one another.

MULTI-PURPOSE SPACE FOR THE COMMUNITY? Maybe the building could be Letchworth Arts and used as a Hub for Hobbies after Leisure Group 7.00pm? and at weekends? 125 Activities and events LALG discounts in over 55 shops and businesses

MULTI-PURPOSE COMMUNITY SPACE?

GARDEN CITY OF Challenges and opportunities THE FUTURE Mel Blackmore Managing Director Blackmores

Johnson Matthey, Royston A Local Industrial Strategy for Hertfordshire Neil Hayes │ Chief Executive, Hertfordshire LEP

Local Industrial Strategy timeline APRIL 2019 MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER MAR/APR 20 Draft strategy and Complete HMG co-design Annual Southern LEPs roundtables Conference LIS statement Public Publish business survey consultation results Consultation Synopsis Further evidence gathering including Productivity Analysis; Social Enterprise and Digital Impact reports Evidence Base Assessment Final LIS published Ongoing learning of local economy (place/sector/themes), LEP business as usual and LIS asks campaign

Foundations of Productivity (1/4) Consistent with the structure of the Industrial Strategy White Paper, we need to “dig deeper” to investigate the Foundations of Productivity that help to explain performance. These five are: IDEAS INFRASTRUCTURE PLACE PEOPLE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT