CONTENTS · One Growth Deal; working in partnership with business networks, and delivering on our...

CONTENTS

01CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE 4

02GCGP: REACHING OUR FULL POTENTIAL 6

03PROJECT OVERVIEWS 14

04THE CASE FOR INVESTMENT XX

3

The Hauser Forum, Cambridge

4

Cathedral Square, Peterborough

Chairman’s Message

CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE

With two of the fastest growing cities in the UK, the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough (GCGP) area is vital for UK GDP, and is a premier location where businesses want to relocate and grow.

Our Growth Deal Round 2 bid sets out the investment our area critically needs to deliver much needed new jobs, new businesses and new homes. By investing in GCGP Government would be investing in a stronger future for UK plc as a whole.

The GCGP area is a world-class, economic powerhouse. The University of Cambridge is one of the global top three universities. Our scientific and technology business cluster is world leading. Together they generate more patents than any other city in the UK, and translate this cutting-edge research into action, with a diverse and resilient advanced manufacturing base (from SMEs through to large companies) spread across the entire GCGP area.

We are a LEP that uniformly wants to deliver the economic growth agenda. We have already helped to drive forward the A14 Upgrade, Greater Cambridge City Deal and Round One Growth Deal; working in partnership with business networks, and delivering on our promises.

However, GCGP’s fast paced growth has failed to bring with it necessary improvements to infrastructure. The limitations of our infrastructure threatens the future pace of growth, notably due to our creaking transport network and associated high house prices.

Our solutions are specific to our area. Cambridge requires growth space and better access for workers whilst Peterborough needs investment to regenerate its core

employment areas and support significant business-led demand. Both of our cities also need reliable and effective transport links to our network of thriving market towns and villages to spread the benefits of city growth across our area.

Our bid has been developed and refined in close partnership with the public and private sector, and is targeted at supporting our cities and key growth corridors to deliver:

• Over 6,000 jobs• 4,000 new homes• 1,000 extra apprenticeships

Which is why I urge you to invest in accelerating growth in our area now, as well as more challenging markets. We will deliver the results you want to see quickly and efficiently, but without your support our thriving economy will slow down.

Help us to reach our full potential by investing in our plan and we will deliver outstanding results not just for the GCGP area, but for the UK economy as a whole.

Mark ReeveChairmanGreater Cambridge Greater Peterborough LEPwww.gcgp.co.uk

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01

GCGP: Reaching our full potential

6

GCGP: Reaching our full potential

The Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough (GCGP) area is a rare jewel in the UK crown. Economically vibrant, culturally rich, and highly skilled with some of the brightest minds in the world. However, parts of our wider LEP area struggle due to lack of connectivity, availability of education and jobs.

What’s more, it is an area proactively embracing growth with two of the fastest growing cities in the UK at its heart plus two new towns, three

major standalone developments and a host of thriving urban expansions all moving forward.

This rapid growth has not come without challenges, and it is those challenges we are seeking to address through our Growth Deal by taking a coordinated, phased approach to growth.

In this latest round of Growth Deal support, we are focusing on strengthening our cities and key growth corridors, accelerating delivery through our package of priority projects.

All of these projects tackle specific barriers to growth, and form part of our wider approach to positively drive growth, which includes our European Structural and Investment Fund (ESIF) strategy.

By investing £61m in the GCGP area we will deliver over 6,000 new jobs, 5,000 new homes & 1,000 apprenticeships

Without further investment we will be unable to unlock the homes and jobs we need to keep our consistently successful economy growing. Our Growth Deal Round 1 was a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to continue to stoke the fire of the GCGP economy.

I N N O VAT I V E C O M PA N I E S L O C AT E D I N G C G P I N C LU D E :

Abcam, ARM, AstraZeneca, Bespak, BGL, BISL, British Sugar, CW, CSR, Domino Printers, GSK, Forward Composites, Games Eden, Huntingdon Life Sciences, Marshall Group, Microsoft, NIAB, Perkins, Redgate, TWI

GCGP: REACHING OUR FULL POTENTIAL

O U R S T R AT E G I C E C O N O M I C P L A N S E T O U T K E Y A R E A S F O R I N T E RV E N T I O N O V E R T H E P E R I O D TO 2 0 2 1 :

• Transport: Strategic transport infrastructure and services toconnect businesses with their workers, keeping them moving by road, rail and other modes (such as the innovative Guided Busway)

• Digital & Technology: Getting the right digital infrastructurein place for our technology companies, and exploiting digital markets

• Business Growth: Targeted financial support to helpbusinesses grow across the GCGP area, complemented by an extension to our newly formed Growth Hub

• Innovation & Incubator: Supporting the delivery of newinnovation centres located at strategic points on our key growth corridors, both to spread the Cambridge phenomenon and to develop local specialisms

• Skills: Changing the culture of skills provision to becomemore business responsive and to provide a steady flow of highly skilled workers to support our fast-paced growth

• Alconbury Weald Enterprise Campus: Bringing forward 3million sq ft of space between two of the fastest growing cities in the UK, building capacity for new jobs and new homes at the heart of the GCGP area

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02

TWI

03PROJECTOVERVIEW

Taking into account our Strategic Economic Plan, and applying the logic of our five strategic aspirations for Round Two Growth Deal, we have developed a package of priority projects focused on:

•Accelerating new jobs, new homes and GVA growth•Facilitating the growth and spread of the Cambridge phenomenon• Leveraging the benefits of Peterborough as the country’sfastest growing city

• Addressing delivery bottlenecks arising from a lackof infrastructure capacity

•Interventions with early deliverables

This package of projects is targeted at funding available from 2016 onwards, but there are a number of projects that could deliver swifter outcomes, we have therefore described opportunities for accelerated delivery of schemes if funding can be released early.

Project Overview

E LY S O U T H E R N B Y PA S S1.7km of new road (including bridges over the Ely to Cambridge and Ely to Ipswich railway lines and the River Great Ouse) that will remove a significant bottleneck into Ely on the Ely/Cambridge corridor. This new road would enable significant growth at Ely to come forward, such as the development of the station quarter, at the same time as relieving heavy congestion around Ely Station. The bypass would also remove constraints on the strategic rail freight line that connects the East Coast ports to the Midlands.

I N S T I T U T E O F A DVA N C E D C O N S T RU C T I O N A N D H I G H WAY S A C A D E M YTwo complemenary skills facilities to support the growth agenda. The projects will see the expansion of training for higher level civil engineering and construction skills at the national Construction Industries Training Board (CITB) national academy. The Growth Deal is seeking to secure funding of £7.41m towards this £16.82m project, which would be complemented by a smaller project to create a Highways Academy (£350k of a £375k project) onsite.

G RO W I N G P L A C E S F U N D E X T E N T I O NExpanding the highly successful, business focused Loan and Grant funding programme to provide gap funding to unlock residential and commercial development as well as support business growth. The funding would enable the continuation and adaptation of GCGP’s highly successful Growing Places Fund, the Eastern Agri-Tech Growth Initiative, and Agri-Tech Research, Development & Prototyping Fund.

LOCATION:

LOCATION:

LOCATION:

Ely, Cambridge

Bircham Newton, West Norfolk

Across the GCGP area

£16m

£7.76m

£7.5m

£35m

£16.85m

£15m

54%

54%

50%

5300 (800 direct)

3,000

3600 (600 direct)

5,000

tbc

Reduced journey times on the A142 between the A10 and Stuntney Causeway by 56%. Reduce delays at the station at peak times by 50%.

A highly skilled new workforce to support the growth of the local area

Breaking down barriers to growth to deliver new homes & new jobs, with an element targetted at our world class Agri-Tech cluster, creating 3,000 jobs.

SEP FUNDS REQUESTED:



TOTAL PROJECT INVESTMENT:



LEVERAGE OF OTHER FUNDING:



NUMBER OF NET JOBS:

NUMBER OF NET JOBS:

NUMBER OF NEW HOMES:

NUMBER OF LEARNERS SUPPORTED:


OUTPUTS:

OUTPUTS:

OUTPUTS:

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Project Overview

S T R AT E G I C WAT E R P RO J E C TTackling the challenges of utility infrastructure by addressing an existing infrastructure deficit for potable and waste water networks. This work is critical to support the planned growth aspirations (and address infrastructure constraints) for planned development across Huntingdonshire and specifically support early delivery of housing and employment at Alconbury Weald.

R I V E R S I D E O P P O RT U N I T Y A R E A P H A S E 1Regeneration of 117 acres of city centre brownfield land into a vibrant mixed use development. Funding would support land remediation, improved site access, and further acquisition of assets vital to the success of the project.

A 4 2 8 TO A 1 F E A S I B I L I T Y S T U D YRoad Infrastructure - A feasibility study to assess required interventions to deliver capacity improvements on the A428 Caxton Gibbet to A1 Black Cat.

LOCATION:

LOCATION:

LOCATION:

Huntingdonshire

Peterborough

St Neots /A1 to Cambridge

£7m

£5m

£0.25m

£14m

£11m

£0.30m

50%

55%

17%

230 jobs direct / 8000 on EZ

1,340 jobs

tbc

9,000 indirect

500 homes

10,000

The creation of 230 jobs directly & a further 800 jobs via the early delivery of the Enterprise Zone. In addition to the early delivery of 500 homes (8000 jobs/9000 homes dependent overall)

1340 jobs (1100 office, 140 leisure/recreation, 100 heritage/arts); 500 homes direct

A clear plan for the future of the A428 corridor from Cambridge to the A1 Black Cat roundabout, on which 10,000 additional homes & jobs are currently planned.










NUMBER OF NET JOBS:

NUMBER OF NET JOBS:

NUMBER OF NET JOBS:




OUTPUTS:

OUTPUTS:

OUTPUTS:

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Project Overview

M 1 1 J 8 / A 1 2 0Road infrastructure - upgrading of the M11/A120 J8 interchange to provide capacity for growth until a major improvement can come forward to deal with projected long term growth. Facilitation of existing housing commitments and the permitted growth planned over the next 10 years at London Stansted Airport.

H U N T I N G D O N C A PA C I T Y F O R G RO W T H ( H C G )Providing capacity for economic and housing growth in the Huntingdon and St Ives area • HCG Phase 1: A1123 and St Ives town centre bus priority • HCG Phase 2: Junction improvements on the A141 Huntingdon Northern BypassReconfiguring existing junctions to improve traffic flows on the A141, enabling the southern connection of the Enterprise Zone and future proof the junctions into the Alconbury Enterprise Zone. • Huntingdonshire Capacity for Growth Feasibility Study

S K I L L S - S P E C I A L I S T E Q U I P M E N T F U N DFlexible funding to enable skills providers to rapidly introduce new/improved courses in respond to employer-led demand by providing specialist equipment.

LOCATION:

LOCATION:

LOCATION:

Stansted Junction, Uttlesford

Alconbury Enterprise Zone / Huntingdon

All Areas

£5m

£11.75m

£0.5m

£6.03m

£12m

£0.75m

17%

2%

33%

6,170

8,000 on the Enterprise Zone

335

2,200

5,000 at Alconbury Weald

Reduction in congestion on junction in addition to the delivery of 2200 homes directly; (3970 homes indirect) alongside 18 hecates of employment land indirect.

A package of solutions necessary to accommodate the planned growth of 21,000 homes through to 2036 (and beyond to 2050).

Enabling skills providers to adapt to rapid increases in demand for specialist skills training by provision of specialist skills equipment. 335 learners supported.










NUMBER OF NET JOBS:

NUMBER OF NET JOBS:

NUMBER OF LEARNERS SUPPORTED:



OUTPUTS:

OUTPUTS:

OUTPUTS:

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Project Overview

C A M B R I D G E S C I E N C E PA R K S TAT I O N S T R AT E G I C L I N KSustainable travel infrastructure - A new route across the River Cam linking the north of Cambridge, the new Cambridge Science Park Station, the Science Park (and neighbouring business parks and innovation centres) to East Cambridge.

L O C A L E N T E R P R I S E H O U S I N G S C H E M EPilot project to facilitate access to housing for those on middle to low incomes, initially focused on Cambridge due to the significantly above average house prices.

LOCATION:

LOCATION:

Cambridge

Cambridge

£2.53m

£3.2m

£4.5m

£6.8m

44%

53%

3,600

Construction jobs tbc

1,200

30 directly provided

Average daily use of 3,000 trips (with a top estimate of 5,000 trips per day). Indirectly supports 3,600 jobs and 1,200 homes.

30 key worker homes directly provided, with a learning process to enable the mechanism to be tested for the roll-out of key worker homes.







NUMBER OF NET JOBS:

NUMBER OF NET JOBS:



OUTPUTS:

OUTPUTS:

12

The Rt Hon Vince Cable signing the GCGP Growth Deal: Round One

Project Overview

13

The Future Business Centre, Cambridge – supported by Growth Places Funding

04THE CASE FOR INVESTMENT

The case for investment

15

Lord Livingston visit’s Masteroast in Peterborough to launch the LEP’s Get Exporting campaign


O P P O RT U N I T I E S F O R G RO W T H

The GCGP area is a major driver of the UK economy with a proven record of excellence in technological innovation and research and development , bringing £30 billion GVA a year to UK plc. It has a national and international profile and influence, focused on Cambridge University and the knowledge-based economy, complemented by Peterborough’s strengths in manufacturing and as a ‘smart city’ with the Alconbury Weald Enterprise Zone strategically located in-between the two cities on the Cambridge-Huntingdon-Peterborough growth corridor.

Located within easy reach of London, national and international markets through London Stansted Airport and the east coast ports, with the right investment the GCGP area has considerable potential for further investment to unlock additional significant growth and benefit to the local, regional and national economy.

Our Growth Deal Round 2 projects have been framed collaboratively with partners and are focussed on releasing those opportunities.

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THE CASE FOR INVESTMENT

Commuting in Cambridge


The GCGP area is not just at the forefront of innovation – it is at the forefront of the growth agenda, with two of the fastest growing cities in the UK supported by a network of market towns, all with ambitious plans for the future.

With advanced, credible plans for the expansion of the core cities of Cambridge and Peterborough, alongside five new settlements, the GCGP area stands out from the generally constrained south east with plans to deliver 160,000 new homes and 100,000 new jobs. Our focus in Round Two of the Growth Deal is to continue to support the growth agenda by five strategic aspirations:

FOCUS ON GROWTHGCGP is flying the flag for UK innovation,

at the same time as being a trailblazer for

the growth agenda as a whole

M A R K R E E V E , C H A I R M A N O F G C G P

• ACCELERATE THE DELIVERY OF NEW JOBS, NEW HOMES AND GVA GROWTH

• FACILITATE THE GROWTH AND SPREAD OFTHE CAMBRIDGE PHENOMENON

• LEVERAGE THE BENEFITS OF PETERBOROUGH AS THE COUNTRY’S FASTEST GROWING CITY

• ADDRESS DELIVERY BOTTLENECKS ARISING FROM A LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE CAPACITY

• FOCUS INTERVENTIONS ON EARLY DELIVERABLES

These five aspirations provide the strategic and spatial logic for prioritising our Round Two projects, combined with the individual project assessments (around value for money, deliverability, risk etc.). Priority projects scored as ‘Compelling’ overall against these aspirations.

Partners have already shown a strong commitment to growth by securing the £500 million Greater Cambridge City Deal with Government, committing £100 million of local funding to tackle the A14, and delivering key infrastructure, such as road access to the Addenbrookes Biomedical Campus. Continued partnership working with Government to invest in the ongoing success of our area is critical to maintain and strengthen the vital contribution it makes to the UK’s economic recovery and growth.

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Delivering vital infrastructure for our area


• 134,000 NEW JOBS – BY 2034 ACROSS A RANGE OF SECTORS

• 1.37 MILLION – THE POPULATION OF THE GCGP AREA IN 2011

• 300,000 PEOPLE – THE FORECASTED INCREASE IN POPULATION BY 2031

• 21% POPULATION INCREASE - ONE OF THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF GROWTH ACROSS THE WIDE SOUTH EAST

• 158,000 NEW HOMES – PLANNED BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS

With targeted investment, the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough economy will help the Government to achieve its broad economic aim of rebalancing and restructuring the UK economy. The area’s track record of innovation and business growth, development of internationally significant business sectors, and export success will move the economy away from an over-reliance on London-based financial services towards a market of international trade across a range of different sectors.

Investment in the GCGP area will provide a far higher return on investment for Government, delivering more new jobs, more new homes and more new ideas that will keep the UK at the cutting edge of innovation globally.

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The reality for the GCGP area is that our core competitors for new business are not currently located in Manchester, Birmingham or even London. In high value sectors, such as bio-sciences and ICT, we are competing on a global platform against the likes of Silicon Valley, Boston, Munich and others. We therefore must remain competitive to retain, attract and grow these businesses.

For example, AstraZeneca’s recent decision to locate their new £330 million headquarters in Cambridge was done in the context of this being the right location for their global business, and the benefits will be felt by the whole UK economy.

• Golden Triangle – a key point on the Cambridge-London-Oxford triangle and at the global cutting edge of research and innovation• London-Stansted-Cambridge-Peterborough Corridor– strategically-linking areas that are driving the UK’seconomic growth and productivity with strong international links via Stansted Airport and the A14 as a key international freight route and two of the fastest growing cities in the UK

The GCGP area is a key location in the national context. Only 45 minutes from London by train, yet accessible to the Midlands and the East Coast. A strong collective of businesses and public sector organisations, led by the LEP, are actively exploiting our wider potential, building on the area’s strengths and tangible delivering results, including:

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive of AstraZeneca, said they wanted to move to the GCGP area beacuse “Cambridge competes on the global stage as a respected innovation hub for life sciences.”

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We understand the need to prioritise scarce funds and deliver a Growth Deal that will have the greatest economic impact. The right homes, business space and movement infrastructure are critical to enable more innovation to be translated locally into commercial delivery. Urban capacity and strategic extensions to core towns and cities are a major part of response in GCGP area, with ambitious plans for five new settlements raising the bar further.

The GCGP area is ready for more growth, with advanced and credible plans to create significant numbers of new homes and new jobs.

Both Cambridge and Peterborough are growing, supported by a network of thriving market towns, helping to realise the core LEP ambition to spread the benefits of growth beyond the two core cities. New settlements on growth corridors provide an important focus for investing in strategic infrastructure and development proposals that will bring forward new homes and jobs, and therefore form an important element of our Growth Deal.

FAST DELIVERY

Peterborough is the country’s fastest growing city and its neighbour Huntingdonshire is the country’s fastest growing shire District.

Northstowe – A new town of 10,000 homes supported by new jobs, schools and facilities.

Alconbury Weald – 5,000 new homes located alongside the Enterprise Zone

Waterbeach – 8,500 new homes located to the north of Cambridge

Wyton – 3,200 new homes located just off of the A14 near Huntingdon

Bourne – 1,200 new homes located on the A428

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SKILLS FOR THE FUTUREWith Government land ownership interests in several of these locations, GCGP wants to work in partnership to ensure these developments are delivered in an effective and timely manner to support economic growth.

The area’s strong track record for delivery, coupled with its overall value and strategic location, means that our area can repay any investment made now through future economic growth and innovation both within and beyond its boundaries.

As the macro-economic context begins to improve, there is an increased urgency for us to accelerate the delivery of our ambitions to ensure that our area has the capacity to harness this next wave of growth to maximum effect for the national economy.

GCGP is leading the way in changing the culture of skills provision to become business-led. We have directly invested in The Skills Service to facilitate businesses driving the skills agenda, whilst inspiring the workforce of the future.

Providers are responding, bringing forward a range of new training opportunities directly related to target business sectors. Pressures on local housing markets also mean we have to make the most of the available workforce through upskilling and bringing people back into the workforce.

Apprenticeships and higher apprenticeships also form an important part of this equation, and European Structural and Investment Funding will help to support broader activities related to this theme.

The GCGP area can repay any investment made through increased tax returns thanks to future economic growth and innovation

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Delivering skills for business


I N F R A S T RU C T U R E

With new homes and new jobs planned, upgrades to our infrastructure are critical to ensure that these happen as soon as possible, in a sustainable way. Accelerating growth across the GCGP area is dependent on investment in infrastructure improvements.

As outlined in our Strategic Economic Plan, our area faces significant challenges due to infrastructure constraints (such as transport, housing, water), the provision for the skilled workforce needs of business, and the capacity and responsiveness of utilities to enable continued business growth. These longer-term challenges are set in the context of one of the highest rates of population growth in the UK over the past 20 years, yet also one of the lowest public sector spend per head.

Much of the existing and future development capacity will take place along key growth corridors, with the associated transport routes essential for moving people and goods within, and through, the area. The majority of these corridors are at, or over, capacity now, meaning we must act fast to avoid constraining economic growth. This is why Round 2 of our Growth Deal sets out action on tackling transport as a key barrier to growth.

When it comes to transport improvements, the GCGP area has an outstanding track record for successfully utilising sustainable alternative modes of transport and trialling innovative, technology driven, approaches is a part of our plan. For example, despite growth of 20% over the last two decades, traffic levels into Cambridge have remained the same, with more than half the population in the City-region travel to work by foot, bike or public transport.

Whilst enhanced capacity for sustainable alternative modes elsewhere in the country may be seen as a ‘nice to have’, in the GCGP area they can truly help to accommodate even more trips on the network and facilitate growth. However, further improvements are needed along our key growth corridors to encourage this modal shift to enhance accessibility between key destinations and allow our area to reach its growth potential.

Existing Growth Deal and City Deal investment in transport is only part of the response. In our SEP we highlighted the strategic road and strategic rail routes that need to be priorities for Government national investment (whether through Highways Agency, Network Rail or other delivery agents).

SOME OF THESE ARE LISTED OVERLEAF:

Travel demand is due to grow by 23% across the GCGP area by 2031, with increase of 28% in Cambridge and 30% in Peterborough

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A14

a nationally important transport corridor connecting the Midlands with the east coast ports, crucial locally to the delivery of Northstowe, Alconbury Weald and Wyton. Major improvements planned to address capacity constraints on the route start in 2016 and complete in 2019.

A428

east-west route connecting Cambridge with Bedford/Milton Keynes, and locally with Cambourne, the proposed new settlement at Bourne airfield and an expanding St Neots. The A428 has seen a 43% increase in traffic since 2001, whilst the stretch between the A1 and A1198 is still single carriageway and causes significant traffic delays.

A47

the most important east-west route in the north of the LEP area, carrying up to 42,000 vehicles a day around Peterborough and 22,000 vehicles on the single carriageway stretch around Wisbech. Significant levels of growth on the route at Wisbech and King’s Lynn require improvements to this strategic route.

M11

connecting the GCGP area with London and London Stansted Airport, improvements to Junction 8 are essential to facilitate access to the airport and to unlock housing delivery, economic development and jobs.

CAMBRIDGE AND PETERBOROUGH TO LONDON

Every year 9.17 million passengers use Cambridge Station and 4.29 million passengers travel from Peterborough Station. Improved frequency on rail routes between both Cambridge and Peterborough to London would help to support ease of travel for both commuters and businesses, strengthening links between Cambridge’s global bio-tech cluster, Peterborough’s environment services cluster and MedCity and TechCity in London.

WEST ANGLIA

Providing a vital link to the Cambridge to London corridor, passenger numbers using the West Anglia rail route are projected to grow by 42% by 2021, increasing the requirement for greater track capacity.

LONDON STANSTED AIRPORT

As the fastest growing London airport, with a 7.2% annual increase in passengers, enhanced surface access to London Stansted Airport will aid both businesses and leisure travellers.

ELY AND CAMBRIDGE

With growing local populations, increased track capacity at Ely and in the Cambridge area will help connect workers with local jobs. Round One funding is also being used to investigate the potential reopening of the Wisbech to March/Cambridge line.

CROSS-COUNTRY ROUTES

With rural services often running once an hour or less, we must improve frequencies on cross-country routes to provide the service the GCGP area needs.

NEW STATIONS

investigation into the feasibility of new railway stations at Alconbury Weald to serve the Enterprise Zone and 5,000 new homes, and Soham where a new station would help to regenerate and facilitate significant growth. Cambridge Science Park Station delivery underway.

STRATEGIC ROADS (HIGHWAYS AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES)

STRATEGIC RAIL (NETWORK RAIL AND TRAIN OPERATING COMPANIES)

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Growth in rail travel has been very strong in the ten years from 2001, with journeys from stations in the GCGP area up by 56%. However, there are still gaps in the network, for example the need to improve the east-west rail connectivity across the Cambridge-London-Oxford triangle, and GCGP is supporting the work of the East-West Consortium (Central Section) to further develop these plans.

Major upgrades are planned on the nationally crucial Felixstowe to Nuneaton line, which will enable more freight carrying capacity. However, complementary investment is needed on level crossings on the route at Ely, March, Whittlesey and Oakham to ensure accessibility on the road network is maintained (and enhanced where possible) to stop delays acting as a barrier to growth.

Investment to enable more reliable and efficient access to the ports, airports and national and international markets via the strategic road and rail network; and to enable strategic scale developments is crucial. As a result, funding is required to support Route Strategy work and scheme development, working with the Highways Agency and Network Rail to prioritise these key routes for improvement.

As leaders in the field of innovation, we also want to support the growth of digitally enabled businesses, increasing the digital aspirations of our rural economy and ensuring our area can meet the demand of inward investors for world-class digital provision.

By harnessing the world-leading innovation and research strengths of the GCGP area, ‘Smart Cities’ and ‘Sustainable Travel’ proposals will effectively support people to make informed choices and reduce the need to travel by road with investment in smart technologies, digital infrastructure and sustainable alternative modes.

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‘Building future success

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GCGP has set out a clear strategy and context for our ambitious growth plans.

The scale of our growth ambitions brings with it both opportunities and challenges.

By investing in strategic infrastructure, it will be necessary to accelerate delivery and remove barriers to development as they come forward. Providing the facilities, services and infrastructure to ensure the timely outcomes and overall viability of projects.

When making these targeted investments, GCGP will always look at ways to deliver the best possible return on investment, using our innovation pedigree to deliver new ways to solve existing challenges.

Investing in our strategic plan will deliver 6,000 new jobs, 4,000 new homes and 1,000 Apprenticeships

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