Sheffield City Region Development Programme
The Brief: We have supported the Sheffield City Region partners to develop their City Region Development Programme, which was launched at the 2006 Northern Regeneration Conference. We were asked to work with the partners to develop an ambitious but realistic set of proposals to transform the City Region's economy and produce a step change in its contribution to national wealth.
For many decades the Sheffield City Region, covering nine local authority areas and 1.7 million people, was a major economic force in the north of England, based on the outputs of two of the country’s most important industries – coal and steel. The vision of the City Region partners is based on a long-term objective to again play a pre-eminent role in the national economy. Achieving it requires a transformation of the economy and continuing collaboration between the public and private sectors.
Based on the City Region's pivotal position in relation to key growing economies in Manchester, Leeds, the East Midlands and the South, as well as its links to the Humber Ports, the Sheffield City Region Development Programme sets out to build on the City region's existing strengths, including the Green Infrastructure, and address underlying weaknesses in relation to enterprise, skills levels, participation and connectivity. Proposals to accelerate the growth generated through five key drivers of the City Region economy - Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield, Growth Centres, Key Sectors, Universities and Innovation and the Destination - are set out.
The proposals in the Sheffield City Region Development Programme are designed to accelerate economic growth over the medium and long term. The achievement of Vision would by 2016 enable the Sheffield City Region to raise its output from a base position of £31.5bn in 2016 to £35.3bn, making a £3.8bn contribution to closing the output gap between the North and the average for England.
Sheffield