PAPER B

 

Committee:                 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PLANNING, TOURISM AND LEISURE SERVICES SELECT COMMITTEE

 

Date:                           28 OCTOBER 2002

 

Title:                            ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

 

                                    REPORT OF HEAD OF PAID SERVICE

 

 


SUMMARY/PURPOSE

 

To appraise Members of current economic development activities.

 

ACTIVITIES

 

1          Contract with the Isle of Wight Economic Partnership to Deliver Economic Development Services

 

The draft Contract between the Isle of Wight Council and the Isle of Wight Economic Partnership (IWEP) has now been prepared.  This is to be discussed informally with the Partnership prior to going to being brought to this Committee for comment and to Executive for decision.

 

2          Cowes Regeneration

 

“Project Cowes” is a joint Isle of Wight Economic Partnership, Isle of Wight Council and SEEDA project for the regeneration of Cowes, which will include the whole of the Medina Valley including Newport Harbour. Consultants CB Hillier Parker were appointed on 30 August to undertake a wide ranging study and to establish a development framework for the whole of Medina Valley which will enable the appraisal of individual projects within the wider needs of Cowes.

 

Work is progressing with a tour of the relevant sites carried out, stakeholder meetings commenced on 24 September and accommodation for the project has been offered on the site of Cowes Yacht Haven.  The draft report should be issued by the end of October and finalised just before Christmas. 

 

SEEDA are providing substantial initial funding towards the Development Framework and it is anticipated that this could be increased with finance provided by the private sector.  The timeframe for this development is expected to be in the region of 5-10 years.

 

A full report will be coming to this Committee at a future date.

 

3          Launch of Healthy Living Programme

 

The Healthy Living Programme was launched on 25 September at the Riverside Centre by the IWEP.  Its aims are to provide activities that have the potential to improve holistic health and well-being and the programme will complement the Island Plan for Health and Well-Being.  The £1m of New Opportunities Fund money will support a range of diverse projects delivered by agencies from the voluntary, statutory, public, private and business sectors.  Although the projects vary greatly in scale and nature they may be grouped into four


categories: increasing access to sport and leisure, referral to complementary activities, promoting well-being in community settings and skills development for healthier lifestyles.

 

These projects are seen as increasingly important in a world where the both the social and working environments are becoming more pressured. The cost to businesses of days lost through stress related illness is increasing and ill health is frequently connected to other factors of social deprivation.  The emphasis is on prevention rather than cure and this can only have a positive effect on the local economy.

 

4          Leader+

 

The Council’s Economic Development Team worked in conjunction with IWEP to develop and submit a successful bid for European Leader+ money for rural regeneration.  This was approved earlier this year (£1.9m EU funds, £0.5m UK funds), and is now up and running.  The programme is being delivered by IWEP as part of the family of regeneration programmes they are responsible for.  The development worker was appointed in August, application forms and guidance notes are now available and Leader+ is being promoted through a range of materials (eg posters) and local meetings.

 

This work will complement that being carried out under other initiatives such as the Rural Development programme and the Single Regeneration Budget.

 

5          Wight Insight

 

The October 25 edition of Wight Insight sees the launch of a joint Council and IWEP initiative to promote Economic Development good news stories.  Whilst the Island has received substantial amounts of grant funding over the past few years (£30m since 1998), it is not always apparent how this money has been spent.  The agreement is that 4 out of the 6 annual editions of Wight Insight will feature success stories that have resulted from the economic development activities of the Partnership, of which the Council is a key member.  These may range from business investment on the Island to small projects that have resulted from funding through the regeneration programmes or European money (or a combination of both). The intention is to steer clear of the “technospeak” and show the reality of what is happening on the ground.

 

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

 

None

 

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

 

None

 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

 

Members note the report

 

Contact Point : Lesley Williams, Principal European Officer,  F 3797

 

M FISHER

Head of Paid Service