Bath Chronicle Bath 2025

Bath 2025what’s in store for business in the city

over the next ten years...

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Bath’s reputation as a quality destin-ation continues to drive the leisuremarket apace.Hotel operators remain focussed on

the city with YTL having very recentlyopened their Spa hotel and KingsmeadHouse now reduced to a pile of rubbleas Apex Hotels press on with theirschemewhichwill provide a further 177beds during 2016. There is an appetitefor more but where?The residential market powers on

with BWR moving into phase 2, LindenHomes on site at the former MODcampus at Ensleigh and Curo makingsignificant progress at Mulberry Park.In the retirement sector, Pegasus haverecently acquired the former HintonGarage and other operators in this sec-tor continue to seek sites in the city.But what of the commercial sector? It

is well documented that office occupi-ers are facing a genuine shortage withlimited stock available.As a result, companies have looked

West and names such as Parmenion,Semperian and Purple Secure can now

be found in Bristol. It is therefore en-couraging to see 20 Manvers Streetcoming forward which will deliver40,000 sq.ft. into the supply chain andhas the potential to establish rentallevels in excess of £20 per sq. ft.It is also encouraging to note that

B&NES Council are proactively inter-vening in the market to condition plan-ning applications in such a way thatemployment space will be deliveredalongside residential.This should see proposed schemes at

Roseberry Place and Bath Press comeforward on a genuine mixed use basis.The introduction of PermittedDevelop-ment Rights certainly impacted andwhilst the upside was the removal ofoutdated office stock many have beensurprised to see the closure of the TramShed on Walcot Street comprising15,000 sq.ft.This building is fully occupied by

smaller creative businesses all of whomwill be homeless in the short term,surely this was not what PDRwas inten-ded to achieve and on this basis an endto the scheme in early 2016 wouldappear to be timely.It could also be argued that there is a

place for public sector intervention inother more creative ways throughleasehold structures and through deliv-ery of space such as has been created atthe Guildhall Hub which is now hometo an expanding cluster of small dy-namic companies.The introduction of flexible lease/oc-

cupational structures with some formof overarching interest might well be

the way forward particularly if thishelps to deliver the “office factory”concept which has met with such suc-cess in other locations. Bath and Bristolis now recognised as being the largestmarket focus for the digital and creativesector outside of London.The city must respond to this and

provide the type of space that thissector requires.Bath must have a certain volume of

quality Grade A space and it is to behoped that Bath Quays North will indue course deliver this. In this respect,

market.Wider changes in terms of the rail

infrastructure for Bath will impact withelectrification in 2017, resulting in notonly in reduced journey times butmoreimportantly increased capacity.The city continues to offer a “small

but beautifully formed” destinationwhich attracts developer and investorinterest across a broad spectrum ofproperty options.With developers and funds requiring

little persuasion that Bath is a place inwhich to do business the responsemust

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B&NES Council are to be congratulatedon their efforts to date in terms ofprogressing the infrastructure worksand securing significant public fundsfor delivery of this crucial waterside sitewhich could be a genuine gamechanger for the city of Bath.Alongside the traditional Grade A

stock there is an acknowledged need forthe more high tech space which isalmost “too cool for school” and fitsextremely well with those companieswho appear set to drive this sector of the

be a can do approach from those whocan influence the development processwhilst at the same time recognising thatthere are tensions between competingland uses.This is arguably the most dynamic

phase that the city has seen and withthe correct response and vision fromnot only the policy makers but thosethat are responsible for implementa-tion, Bath should bewell placed to buildupon its historic success and to em-brace emerging opportunities.

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The real step changefor long distance servicesoccurs from December2018, when a majortimetable change will unlock45 more services a day betweenBristol and London and faster services,using these new trains.With new or updated trains in every

area of the network, these fast trains willalso be operating between South Walesand London as well as Bristol and Lon-don cutting journey times into BristolTemple Meads by up to 17 minutes andCardiff by up to 14 minutes.There will also bemore seats available

for commuters as more modern Turbotrains, currently used on services in the

Thames Valley, replace oldertrains currently in use on theBristol suburban services.

These will create morethan 3,400 additionalseats around the city – a52% increase comparedto today. The key Cardiff-Bristol-Portsmouth ser-vices will be predom-inantly operated

by five-carriagetrains. And by

December 2018 all ourtrains in the Bristol areawill offer free WiFi.It’s not just the trains

that are being upgraded,a £50 million investmentwith our partners to im-prove stations, including2,000 new car park spacesacross the network, customer in-

formation improvements and improvedPA systems will change the journeyexperience for customers.Bristol isn’t the only area

which is benefitting fromthis investment. Subjectto government approvalwe have proposals for abrand new fleet ofprivately funded intercitytrains for services to andfrom Devon and Corn-

wall - creating threemillion additionalseats a year for custom-ers.All this will be done

under our new name,GWR, which is alreadybeing used on the longdistance First Class car-riages andwewill begin therebrand with the start of the

new franchise in September.First Great Western Managing

Director Mark Hopwood said: “I ampleased and proud that we will be

running the Great Westernnetwork for another threeand a half years. TheGreatWestern network isalready seeing thebiggest investmentsince Brunel, and ournew franchise has beendesigned to match thatinvestment and ambition.

It gives passengers newertrains, faster, more frequent

services and importantly, given thegrowth this franchise has seen in recentyears, more seats.“I am particularly pleased that we

have been able to announce these im-provements for the Bristol area in itsyear as European Green Capital. We area key partner, and the improvements wehave agreed today can only encouragemore people out of their cars and ontothe train.”

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Bath’s reputation as a quality destin-ation continues to drive the leisuremarket apace.Hotel operators remain focussed on

the city with YTL having very recentlyopened their Spa hotel and KingsmeadHouse now reduced to a pile of rubbleas Apex Hotels press on with theirschemewhichwill provide a further 177beds during 2016. There is an appetitefor more but where?The residential market powers on

with BWR moving into phase 2, LindenHomes on site at the former MODcampus at Ensleigh and Curo makingsignificant progress at Mulberry Park.In the retirement sector, Pegasus haverecently acquired the former HintonGarage and other operators in this sec-tor continue to seek sites in the city.But what of the commercial sector? It

is well documented that office occupi-ers are facing a genuine shortage withlimited stock available.As a result, companies have looked

West and names such as Parmenion,Semperian and Purple Secure can now

be found in Bristol. It is therefore en-couraging to see 20 Manvers Streetcoming forward which will deliver40,000 sq.ft. into the supply chain andhas the potential to establish rentallevels in excess of £20 per sq. ft.It is also encouraging to note that

B&NES Council are proactively inter-vening in the market to condition plan-ning applications in such a way thatemployment space will be deliveredalongside residential.This should see proposed schemes at

Roseberry Place and Bath Press comeforward on a genuine mixed use basis.The introduction of PermittedDevelop-ment Rights certainly impacted andwhilst the upside was the removal ofoutdated office stock many have beensurprised to see the closure of the TramShed on Walcot Street comprising15,000 sq.ft.This building is fully occupied by

smaller creative businesses all of whomwill be homeless in the short term,surely this was not what PDRwas inten-ded to achieve and on this basis an endto the scheme in early 2016 wouldappear to be timely.It could also be argued that there is a

place for public sector intervention inother more creative ways throughleasehold structures and through deliv-ery of space such as has been created atthe Guildhall Hub which is now hometo an expanding cluster of small dy-namic companies.The introduction of flexible lease/oc-

cupational structures with some formof overarching interest might well be

the way forward particularly if thishelps to deliver the “office factory”concept which has met with such suc-cess in other locations. Bath and Bristolis now recognised as being the largestmarket focus for the digital and creativesector outside of London.The city must respond to this and

provide the type of space that thissector requires.Bath must have a certain volume of

quality Grade A space and it is to behoped that Bath Quays North will indue course deliver this. In this respect,

market.Wider changes in terms of the rail

infrastructure for Bath will impact withelectrification in 2017, resulting in notonly in reduced journey times butmoreimportantly increased capacity.The city continues to offer a “small

but beautifully formed” destinationwhich attracts developer and investorinterest across a broad spectrum ofproperty options.With developers and funds requiring

little persuasion that Bath is a place inwhich to do business the responsemust

��

B&NES Council are to be congratulatedon their efforts to date in terms ofprogressing the infrastructure worksand securing significant public fundsfor delivery of this crucial waterside sitewhich could be a genuine gamechanger for the city of Bath.Alongside the traditional Grade A

stock there is an acknowledged need forthe more high tech space which isalmost “too cool for school” and fitsextremely well with those companieswho appear set to drive this sector of the

be a can do approach from those whocan influence the development processwhilst at the same time recognising thatthere are tensions between competingland uses.This is arguably the most dynamic

phase that the city has seen and withthe correct response and vision fromnot only the policy makers but thosethat are responsible for implementa-tion, Bath should bewell placed to buildupon its historic success and to em-brace emerging opportunities.

”

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The real step changefor long distance servicesoccurs from December2018, when a majortimetable change will unlock45 more services a day betweenBristol and London and faster services,using these new trains.With new or updated trains in every

area of the network, these fast trains willalso be operating between South Walesand London as well as Bristol and Lon-don cutting journey times into BristolTemple Meads by up to 17 minutes andCardiff by up to 14 minutes.There will also bemore seats available

for commuters as more modern Turbotrains, currently used on services in the

Thames Valley, replace oldertrains currently in use on theBristol suburban services.

These will create morethan 3,400 additionalseats around the city – a52% increase comparedto today. The key Cardiff-Bristol-Portsmouth ser-vices will be predom-inantly operated

by five-carriagetrains. And by

December 2018 all ourtrains in the Bristol areawill offer free WiFi.It’s not just the trains

that are being upgraded,a £50 million investmentwith our partners to im-prove stations, including2,000 new car park spacesacross the network, customer in-

formation improvements and improvedPA systems will change the journeyexperience for customers.Bristol isn’t the only area

which is benefitting fromthis investment. Subjectto government approvalwe have proposals for abrand new fleet ofprivately funded intercitytrains for services to andfrom Devon and Corn-

wall - creating threemillion additionalseats a year for custom-ers.All this will be done

under our new name,GWR, which is alreadybeing used on the longdistance First Class car-riages andwewill begin therebrand with the start of the

new franchise in September.First Great Western Managing

Director Mark Hopwood said: “I ampleased and proud that we will be

running the Great Westernnetwork for another threeand a half years. TheGreatWestern network isalready seeing thebiggest investmentsince Brunel, and ournew franchise has beendesigned to match thatinvestment and ambition.

It gives passengers newertrains, faster, more frequent

services and importantly, given thegrowth this franchise has seen in recentyears, more seats.“I am particularly pleased that we

have been able to announce these im-provements for the Bristol area in itsyear as European Green Capital. We area key partner, and the improvements wehave agreed today can only encouragemore people out of their cars and ontothe train.”

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�� ’� �� Two years ago Bath and

North East SomersetCouncil unveiled plansfor the city’s £1 billionEnterprise Area.The area would

stretch from ManversStreet, where there areplans for a new innova-tion quarter, along theRiver Avon, to a new produc-tion quarter at Newbridge.At the heart of the Enterprise Area are

the North and South Quay projects.The two zones, which will lie north

and south of the river coveringthe old Newark Works siteand Green Park, will be-come hubs of innova-tion.It is estimated that

the entire enterprisearea would create 9,000jobs, 650,000 squarefeet of workspace and2,500 new homes.However, investment is

needed to build infrastructuresuch as roads and facilities like theAvon Street car park need to be relo-cated.The local authority has

already announced plans todemolish the multi-storeycar park, which wouldmean the loss of 414parking spaces. Thework is expected totake place by the end ofthe year. It is not knownif the parking spaces willbe relocated elsewhere inthe city.There are also plans tomake

Corn Street two-way and extend itthrough the existing coach park to linkup with Green Park Road. A 100-metrestretch of Green Park Road, parallelwith Avon Street Car Park, will nolonger be open to traffic.It is also hoped the

changes will create a newwaterfront space, whichwill transform the river-side with walkways,cycle routes, cafes andencourage events suchas boat races.Bath and North East

Somerset Council hassaid it will seek fundingfrom theWest of England LocalEnterprise Partnership and the privatesector to push the Enterprise Area for-ward.Many companies are already be-

lieved to be interested in being part ofthe investment scheme including Bathdefence firmBMT,whichhas revealed itwants to be part of the first phase of the£65 million Innovation Quay.The company, which has three subsi-

diaries in the city, has reached an out-line agreement with council chiefs overthe old Newark Works on Lower BristolRoad. It wants to create a new home for

more than 330 staff members basedin the city centre.

BMT regional director forUK and Europe, GarySmith said: “BMT’s cur-rent office space in Bathdoesn’t allow for futureexpansion, nor does itallow all three BMTcompanies to be housedin the same complexwhich would be ideal. In

order for BMT’s presence inthe South West to grow at an

appropriate rate to support its key cli-ents, new, larger office accommodationmust be secured. “We’re very aware of

the historical significance of theBath Quays South site andwill work with the councilto ensure that any re-development is sym-pathetic to Bath’sunique architecturalheritage.”The site, which has sat

derelict for many yearsand has been targeted by

squatters, originally caughtthe attention of inventor Sir

James Dyson who wanted to build anew engineering school in the heart ofthe city but flooding concerns meant

the scheme failed.In 2014 Bath and NorthEast Somerset Council se-cured £6.2 million offunding to help withflood alleviation worksalong the River Avon,which were essential forthe Enterprise Areaplans. The Bath QuaysWaterside Project aims to

provide improved flood de-fences to the north and south

banks of the River Avon betweenChurchill Bridge, and Midland Bridge.The council is working with the En-

vironment Agency on the proposalswhich also aim to improve accessib-

ility for pedestrians and cyclistson the riverside. But BMT arenot the only people withplans for the NewarkWorks, once home to thefamous Stothert and Pittcrane makers.Plans have been re-

vealed that would turnthe abandoned Grade IIStothert and Pitt factories

into an innovation centrebringing Bath’s creative fraternity

together under one roof.The £15-million scheme would cre-

ate workshop space for small and me-

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dium-sized businesses to share ideas aswell as resources, an exhibition area,conference facilities and a cafe.The Craneworks project is being

spearheaded by a group of businessleaders from a variety of city-based

organisations such as Creative Bath,Bath Bridge, Buro Happold and FeildenClegg Bradley.Spokesman Rhodri Samuel, former

regeneration manager at Bath andNorth East Somerset Council, said the

site was crying out for development andwas the perfect opportunity to preventa creative drain from the city.“Everyone is bored of talking. We

want to deliver something that is genu-inely going to benefit the city.”

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E01-

S34 5

BCH-E01-S3

�� ’� �� Two years ago Bath and

North East SomersetCouncil unveiled plansfor the city’s £1 billionEnterprise Area.The area would

stretch from ManversStreet, where there areplans for a new innova-tion quarter, along theRiver Avon, to a new produc-tion quarter at Newbridge.At the heart of the Enterprise Area are

the North and South Quay projects.The two zones, which will lie north

and south of the river coveringthe old Newark Works siteand Green Park, will be-come hubs of innova-tion.It is estimated that

the entire enterprisearea would create 9,000jobs, 650,000 squarefeet of workspace and2,500 new homes.However, investment is

needed to build infrastructuresuch as roads and facilities like theAvon Street car park need to be relo-cated.The local authority has

already announced plans todemolish the multi-storeycar park, which wouldmean the loss of 414parking spaces. Thework is expected totake place by the end ofthe year. It is not knownif the parking spaces willbe relocated elsewhere inthe city.There are also plans tomake

Corn Street two-way and extend itthrough the existing coach park to linkup with Green Park Road. A 100-metrestretch of Green Park Road, parallelwith Avon Street Car Park, will nolonger be open to traffic.It is also hoped the

changes will create a newwaterfront space, whichwill transform the river-side with walkways,cycle routes, cafes andencourage events suchas boat races.Bath and North East

Somerset Council hassaid it will seek fundingfrom theWest of England LocalEnterprise Partnership and the privatesector to push the Enterprise Area for-ward.Many companies are already be-

lieved to be interested in being part ofthe investment scheme including Bathdefence firmBMT,whichhas revealed itwants to be part of the first phase of the£65 million Innovation Quay.The company, which has three subsi-

diaries in the city, has reached an out-line agreement with council chiefs overthe old Newark Works on Lower BristolRoad. It wants to create a new home for

more than 330 staff members basedin the city centre.

BMT regional director forUK and Europe, GarySmith said: “BMT’s cur-rent office space in Bathdoesn’t allow for futureexpansion, nor does itallow all three BMTcompanies to be housedin the same complexwhich would be ideal. In

order for BMT’s presence inthe South West to grow at an

appropriate rate to support its key cli-ents, new, larger office accommodationmust be secured. “We’re very aware of

the historical significance of theBath Quays South site andwill work with the councilto ensure that any re-development is sym-pathetic to Bath’sunique architecturalheritage.”The site, which has sat

derelict for many yearsand has been targeted by

squatters, originally caughtthe attention of inventor Sir

James Dyson who wanted to build anew engineering school in the heart ofthe city but flooding concerns meant

the scheme failed.In 2014 Bath and NorthEast Somerset Council se-cured £6.2 million offunding to help withflood alleviation worksalong the River Avon,which were essential forthe Enterprise Areaplans. The Bath QuaysWaterside Project aims to

provide improved flood de-fences to the north and south

banks of the River Avon betweenChurchill Bridge, and Midland Bridge.The council is working with the En-

vironment Agency on the proposalswhich also aim to improve accessib-

ility for pedestrians and cyclistson the riverside. But BMT arenot the only people withplans for the NewarkWorks, once home to thefamous Stothert and Pittcrane makers.Plans have been re-

vealed that would turnthe abandoned Grade IIStothert and Pitt factories

into an innovation centrebringing Bath’s creative fraternity

together under one roof.The £15-million scheme would cre-

ate workshop space for small and me-

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dium-sized businesses to share ideas aswell as resources, an exhibition area,conference facilities and a cafe.The Craneworks project is being

spearheaded by a group of businessleaders from a variety of city-based

organisations such as Creative Bath,Bath Bridge, Buro Happold and FeildenClegg Bradley.Spokesman Rhodri Samuel, former

regeneration manager at Bath andNorth East Somerset Council, said the

site was crying out for development andwas the perfect opportunity to preventa creative drain from the city.“Everyone is bored of talking. We

want to deliver something that is genu-inely going to benefit the city.”

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The government has given itself a verychallenging target of creating 3 millionnew apprenticeships over the life of thisparliament and this ambition is to beapplauded. Over the past five years orso we have seen a renaissance in ap-prenticeships and now we see theemergence of the apprenticeship as oneof the best skills development andtraining programmes for young people.Apprenticeships are key to successfulskills systems across the world but un-fortunately, in this country, variousgovernments have tinkered with them

too much; at one point they were virtu-ally wiped out but now we have con-sensus across the political spectrumthat apprenticeships are key to work-force development and economicgrowth.In Bath and North East Somerset we

have seen tremendous growth in thenumber of young people taking up anapprenticeship over the past five years.We have also seen a rise in the numberof small and large employers engagingin the apprenticeship programme andvaluing this particular training and de-velopment approach. As Principal andChief Executive of the area’s largestprovider of apprenticeships I have no-ticed a shift in the last few years; a shiftaway from University being consideredas the only choice for those completingA level programmes, a shift to a positionwhere young people finishing GCSEsand A levels are seriously consideringan apprenticeship as an acceleratedroute into well-paid employment.But in this area we still have much to

do. We need our local school teachers,and those giving advice to youngpeople, to have a better understandingof the true value of the apprenticeshipprogramme. Last year, I met a youngman who had just finished his A-levelsat a local school. He gained twoAs and aB in maths and science subjects andprogressed on to the fantastic Rotorkengineering apprenticeship – he wastold by his tutor that he was mad to do

an apprenticeshship and that he shouldbe going to university. Well let’s look atthe facts. He is now being paid a veryhealthy wage by one of the world’sleading engineering companies, whowill work with him to continue hislearning to degree level. Sounds prettysane to me!We also need to ensure that parents

are better informed about apprentice-ships. As a parent of an 11 year olddaughter, I would be delighted if, whenshe starts secondary school in Septem-ber, her school were telling her aboutapprenticeships from day 1 and I wouldbe equally delighted if, at the age of 16or 18, she wanted to join an apprentice-ship programme with one of our localbusinesses.In Bath and North East Somerset we

have a significant number of fantasticbusinesses actively engaged in the ap-prenticeship programme. Organisa-tions like Rotork, Cross Engineering,Bath AquaGlass, B&NESCouncil,West-gate IT, the Bath Building Society andCrest Nicholson, all understand the be-nefits of apprenticeships and are greatadvocates for the programme. But thefact is, we need more of our localbusinesses and public sector organisa-tions to engage with the programmeand to use the programme to developfuture talent. The government has com-mitted to abolishing National Insur-ance Contributions for almost allapprentices under the age of 25 for April

2016 and there is already an apprentice-ship grant in place for small and me-dium sized companies.

We have a relatively good employmentand skills situation in Bath and NorthEast Somerset but whilst this is a causefor celebration,wemust not be compla-cent or too pleased with ourselves. Ourlocal economy does face a number ofchallenges; I am committed to funda-mentally reshaping how my organisa-tion delivers education and trainingand part of this is to develop new, deeprelationships with employers and in-dustry groups.Last week, I had the pleasure of

hosting around 20 business peoplefrom our fantastic hospitality and tour-ism industry, a key part of Bath’s visitoreconomy. These were all very success-ful businesses, businesses with a sharedchallenge – the availability of a skilledworkforce. All of these businessesstruggle to recruit and retain staff be-cause in the local industry the demandfor staff significantly outweighs the sup-ply of labour. The UK’s hospitality in-dustry will need an additional 660,000people by 2020 to prosper. This is whywe are taking a good look at the hospit-ality and catering training we deliverand have decided to work much closerand more strategically with the localindustry to provide a talent pipeline

whereby our trainee chefs are linkedwith local businesses from day one oftheir training. I have every confidencein the quality of training we provide butrecognise that we need to be muchbetter at working with local businessesto provide their talent pipeline. Thehospitality industry is just one exampleof where we are doing this and we havea number of exciting projects in hand tosupport the construction, engineeringand creative and digital industries insimilar ways.

In my organisation we no longer talkabout vocational education, instead wetalk about professional and technicaleducation and training. We know thatwhat we do is essential to support thelocal economy and we know that im-proving and strengthening professionaland technical education and training isessential to the future success of oureconomy and national prosperity.

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vailable office accommodation in Bathhas reached critically low levels in thepast 18months, saysWoodStreet-basednational property consultants Carter Jo-

nas.Figures released by the firm this spring showed

that office supply in Bath fell by 30 per cent during2014 and this trend has continued in 2015. The cityis now facing a significant challenge for employerssays the firm’s Commercial Edge report, whichshows the high demand for space is likely to pushrental growth up to £25 per square foot by the endof this year.The report also indicates the severe lack of top

quality stock will continue to force employers toconsider relocating to surrounding areas, particu-larly Bristol and west Wiltshire.BANES Enterprise Area Master Plan offers a

unique opportunity to delivermuch needed space,although, says Carter Jonas, the timescale fordelivery will be too long for some employers.The Master Plan challenges the city to deliver

high quality jobs through regeneration of derelictand existing employment sites. The two mostsignificant sites in the enterprise area are BathQuaysNorth and South, owned by the council, andit is delivery of these two sites that will create themomentum for the wider area.Carter Jonas is advising BMT Group, which has

an outline agreement with Bath & North EastSomerset Council to redevelop the long derelictBath Quays South site. BMT Group, the leadinginternational maritime design, engineering andrisk management consultancy is one of the largestemployers in the city and has reached capacitywith its existing sites. Rehousing the companywithin a new, purpose built office building wouldsecure existing jobs in Bath and allow the companyto expand further within the city. The companyemploys more than 500 people in the city, mainlyin specialist technical, engineering roles.The North Quays site has capacity to provide

around a quarter of a million square feet of officeaccommodation, which, according to Carter Jonaspartner Philip Marshall, is desperately required.Mr Marshall said: “A combination of factors,

including an improving economy and changingworking practices, has left Bath with a criticalshortage in the supply of office space. The officemarket has been changing rapidly and Bath needsto deliver both high quality space for larger busi-nesses, as well as flexible, interesting workingspaces for start-up and smaller businesses.“This latter space needs to be delivered within a

business model which allows businesses to growand move with ease, in a way that historic leasingarrangements cannot provide. The BANES areahas a strong tradition of innovation – we need torecognise the need for growth and provide a rangeof business accommodation to suit both larger andnewer businesses,” said Mr Marshall.

ath is the West of England’s biggestbrand, known across the globe as a centreof historical and cultural excellence. It’s atourist hotspot and the Roman Baths is a

world class attraction, with plans to make it evenmore popular.And therein lies the problem. Just as Bristol has

much more history and culture than people fromfar afield first realise, so Bath has real creativeabilities, cutting edge technology and entrepren-eurial spirit, factors that are sometimes over-looked.Over the next ten years we will preserve and

grow our tourist and retail offering but we will alsocreate a sustainable economy for the long term bydoing three key things.First, we will create the most attractive riverside

Enterprise Area, providing vital modern officespace close to the city centre which will allow ourexisting companies to grow. We have been great atinspiring businesses to start up but it is nowwidelyacknowledged that there is a danger they may beforced to leave the City for want of space. The newoffices will also draw in those businesses fromoutside whowant to operate in the fantasticWorldHeritage Site environment.Second, we will build enough houses to ensure

the people needed to work in Bath can afford tolive therewithout the need for tortuous commutes.We have leading companies, such as BMT, BuroHappold and Rotork who are constantly on thelook out for fresh talent. We will need to help themand others like them to attract the best talent toBath. This means having the courage to take whatsome might see as unpopular decisions when itcomes to giving permission for development. Butlocal politicians can be assured that the businesscommunity will be right behind them when itcomes to voting in favour of what is right. It willmean the young people of Bath can stay in the Citythey love, near their families and pursuing worth-while careers.Third, we will crack the transport conundrum,

allowing people into the centre of Bath whilstreducing the intrusion of vehicles. Several thingswill have to come together. The electrification ofthe main rail line is already coming, which willbring Bath ever closer to London. But we needmore park and ride capacity, including a new siteto the east, which is available 24/7, and betterpublic transport which encourages drivers to leavetheir cars at home. Those things are all possible.Bath businesses are wide ranging with a broad

outlook and they know that we cannot stand as anisolated island. We recognise we must be part of alarger grouping in order to gain both Governmentattention and funding. Bristol provides the eco-nomic engine for that grouping, however itemerges. But Bath canprovide the turbo charger toturn an ordinary vehicle into somethingwith a truenational and international performance.

ilsted Langdon’s Consultant Eco-nomist, Kevin Butler – who recentlyhosted a Business Club Dinner at TheRoyal Crescent Hotel in Bath – be-

lieves that Bath has a diversified economy, inwhich business and consumer services, highvalue-added engineering and the ‘knowledge eco-nomy’ (partly related to the universities) all makeimportant contributions.“The city has recovered strongly from the reces-

sion, but this success has also brought its chal-lenges; shortages of space for new commercial andhousing investment and a transport infrastructurewhich needs to adapt as the city’s economygrows.Capacity is tight, labour and skills are in short

supply and the cost of materials, such as inconstruction, has increased sharply.On the other hand, opportunities for business

growth over the next few years are significant andI’m confident that Bath businesses will convertthis rising demand into higher profitability.”Indeed, since it moved into Queen Square in

Bath, Milsted Langdon – which also has offices inBristol, London, Taunton and Yeovil – has expan-ded significantly as it has seen an increase in itsclient base.Director Peter Groves said: “We first opened the

Bath office because we saw significant growthopportunities in the city but it also reinforced thefirm’s commitment to the businesses and indi-viduals of Bath, who are able to benefit fromlevels of service normally only found at biggerfirms.”Milsted Langdon’s Bath office provides a full

service offering and has developed its services andis led by Partner Ian Lloyd.In the Bath office, Ian and Peter also have the

support of dedicated Tax Partner Rachael Ver-inder, who is a Chartered Tax Advisor with special-isms that include entrepreneurs, high net worthand ultra-high net worth individuals.In addition, Corporate Finance Partner Susan-

nah Adams will spend a large proportion of hertime in Bath advising businesses of all sizes,including listed companies and owner-managedbusinesses in the SME sector that are engaged inM&A activities as well as corporate fund-raising.“Bath truly is a great city to be involved with and

I’m proud of the service we can offer clients fromour base in Queen Square,” said Ian.“I see a bright future ahead, not only for Milsted

Langdon but for Bath too.“This is a world-renowned city which offers

people a great place to live and work and providesan inspiring environment for business.“This is a city that is famous for its pioneers,

artists, scientists and engineers and I believe thatin the future it will continue to be shaped bycreative entrepreneurs working digitally from theirbase in Bath.”

have run the University of Bath’s InnovationCentre at the heart of what is now theEnterprise Area for over ten years. While myteam has been busy working with over 250

high tech, high growth start-up business from ouroffices on Broad Quay, we have seen the areaachieve an incredible transformation, with thenew Southgate Centre and development aroundBath Spa station creating a vibrant new quarter forthe City. What a difference 10 years can make andwhat a positive example of our collective ability tomake a profound change to our environment.Working in the City-centre I am one of the manypeople that appreciate the High Street brands,tempting restaurants and bustling bars as a placesto go and shop, eat anddrink.Howeverwhen I lookahead to what we can and should achieve in thenext 10 years, I hope that this wonderful ‘con-sumers paradise’ will complemented by a similarinvestment in our City’s ability to create, innovateand produce. I hope that the Enterprise Area willbecome the focal point for businesses that havebeen grown or been attracted to Bath by itscompelling lifestyle, great business culture and ofcourse its talented workforce.The opportunity is immense. Our university’s

world class research creates knowledge base inmany of the key enabling technologies that willdetermine the future – the next generation ofdigital, the kind of homes we’ll live in, the cars andvehicles we’ll drive and indeed the air we’llbreathe, the food we’ll eat and the water we’lldrink. These capabilities are founded on people–professors, young researchers, students the staffthat support them– all creating the knowledge thatwill be the building blocks of innovation andbusinesses of the future. The role of the EnterpriseArea is to capture this capability and ensure that asmuch of it as possible is retained in Bath – as start-up businesses founded by our graduating stu-dents, as advisors and consultants for establishedbusinesses that are attracted to set-up Bath be-cause of the easy access to this know-how, and asworld class research facilities a make our City issynonymous with the creation of new ideas andsolution to the world’s biggest problems andopportunities.Wehave the right ingredients, that’sindisputable and has been well-catalogued inmany, many reports written about our potential.The challenge is to translate our potential intoperformance and unless we set about this with realurgency, we run the risk of squandering theopportunity and falling behind lesser cities, manyof which do not have our natural assets, but dohave the get up and go to get things done. I think avision for an Enterprise Area in 2025 is important –but, even more important is a clear idea of thesteps we must take to get there.What should we have achieved by 2020? What

must be done by 2016 in order for us to be on theright track?

BCH-

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BCH-E01-S3

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The government has given itself a verychallenging target of creating 3 millionnew apprenticeships over the life of thisparliament and this ambition is to beapplauded. Over the past five years orso we have seen a renaissance in ap-prenticeships and now we see theemergence of the apprenticeship as oneof the best skills development andtraining programmes for young people.Apprenticeships are key to successfulskills systems across the world but un-fortunately, in this country, variousgovernments have tinkered with them

too much; at one point they were virtu-ally wiped out but now we have con-sensus across the political spectrumthat apprenticeships are key to work-force development and economicgrowth.In Bath and North East Somerset we

have seen tremendous growth in thenumber of young people taking up anapprenticeship over the past five years.We have also seen a rise in the numberof small and large employers engagingin the apprenticeship programme andvaluing this particular training and de-velopment approach. As Principal andChief Executive of the area’s largestprovider of apprenticeships I have no-ticed a shift in the last few years; a shiftaway from University being consideredas the only choice for those completingA level programmes, a shift to a positionwhere young people finishing GCSEsand A levels are seriously consideringan apprenticeship as an acceleratedroute into well-paid employment.But in this area we still have much to

do. We need our local school teachers,and those giving advice to youngpeople, to have a better understandingof the true value of the apprenticeshipprogramme. Last year, I met a youngman who had just finished his A-levelsat a local school. He gained twoAs and aB in maths and science subjects andprogressed on to the fantastic Rotorkengineering apprenticeship – he wastold by his tutor that he was mad to do

an apprenticeshship and that he shouldbe going to university. Well let’s look atthe facts. He is now being paid a veryhealthy wage by one of the world’sleading engineering companies, whowill work with him to continue hislearning to degree level. Sounds prettysane to me!We also need to ensure that parents

are better informed about apprentice-ships. As a parent of an 11 year olddaughter, I would be delighted if, whenshe starts secondary school in Septem-ber, her school were telling her aboutapprenticeships from day 1 and I wouldbe equally delighted if, at the age of 16or 18, she wanted to join an apprentice-ship programme with one of our localbusinesses.In Bath and North East Somerset we

have a significant number of fantasticbusinesses actively engaged in the ap-prenticeship programme. Organisa-tions like Rotork, Cross Engineering,Bath AquaGlass, B&NESCouncil,West-gate IT, the Bath Building Society andCrest Nicholson, all understand the be-nefits of apprenticeships and are greatadvocates for the programme. But thefact is, we need more of our localbusinesses and public sector organisa-tions to engage with the programmeand to use the programme to developfuture talent. The government has com-mitted to abolishing National Insur-ance Contributions for almost allapprentices under the age of 25 for April

2016 and there is already an apprentice-ship grant in place for small and me-dium sized companies.

We have a relatively good employmentand skills situation in Bath and NorthEast Somerset but whilst this is a causefor celebration,wemust not be compla-cent or too pleased with ourselves. Ourlocal economy does face a number ofchallenges; I am committed to funda-mentally reshaping how my organisa-tion delivers education and trainingand part of this is to develop new, deeprelationships with employers and in-dustry groups.Last week, I had the pleasure of

hosting around 20 business peoplefrom our fantastic hospitality and tour-ism industry, a key part of Bath’s visitoreconomy. These were all very success-ful businesses, businesses with a sharedchallenge – the availability of a skilledworkforce. All of these businessesstruggle to recruit and retain staff be-cause in the local industry the demandfor staff significantly outweighs the sup-ply of labour. The UK’s hospitality in-dustry will need an additional 660,000people by 2020 to prosper. This is whywe are taking a good look at the hospit-ality and catering training we deliverand have decided to work much closerand more strategically with the localindustry to provide a talent pipeline

whereby our trainee chefs are linkedwith local businesses from day one oftheir training. I have every confidencein the quality of training we provide butrecognise that we need to be muchbetter at working with local businessesto provide their talent pipeline. Thehospitality industry is just one exampleof where we are doing this and we havea number of exciting projects in hand tosupport the construction, engineeringand creative and digital industries insimilar ways.

In my organisation we no longer talkabout vocational education, instead wetalk about professional and technicaleducation and training. We know thatwhat we do is essential to support thelocal economy and we know that im-proving and strengthening professionaland technical education and training isessential to the future success of oureconomy and national prosperity.

�� ’��

vailable office accommodation in Bathhas reached critically low levels in thepast 18months, saysWoodStreet-basednational property consultants Carter Jo-

nas.Figures released by the firm this spring showed

that office supply in Bath fell by 30 per cent during2014 and this trend has continued in 2015. The cityis now facing a significant challenge for employerssays the firm’s Commercial Edge report, whichshows the high demand for space is likely to pushrental growth up to £25 per square foot by the endof this year.The report also indicates the severe lack of top

quality stock will continue to force employers toconsider relocating to surrounding areas, particu-larly Bristol and west Wiltshire.BANES Enterprise Area Master Plan offers a

unique opportunity to delivermuch needed space,although, says Carter Jonas, the timescale fordelivery will be too long for some employers.The Master Plan challenges the city to deliver

high quality jobs through regeneration of derelictand existing employment sites. The two mostsignificant sites in the enterprise area are BathQuaysNorth and South, owned by the council, andit is delivery of these two sites that will create themomentum for the wider area.Carter Jonas is advising BMT Group, which has

an outline agreement with Bath & North EastSomerset Council to redevelop the long derelictBath Quays South site. BMT Group, the leadinginternational maritime design, engineering andrisk management consultancy is one of the largestemployers in the city and has reached capacitywith its existing sites. Rehousing the companywithin a new, purpose built office building wouldsecure existing jobs in Bath and allow the companyto expand further within the city. The companyemploys more than 500 people in the city, mainlyin specialist technical, engineering roles.The North Quays site has capacity to provide

around a quarter of a million square feet of officeaccommodation, which, according to Carter Jonaspartner Philip Marshall, is desperately required.Mr Marshall said: “A combination of factors,

including an improving economy and changingworking practices, has left Bath with a criticalshortage in the supply of office space. The officemarket has been changing rapidly and Bath needsto deliver both high quality space for larger busi-nesses, as well as flexible, interesting workingspaces for start-up and smaller businesses.“This latter space needs to be delivered within a

business model which allows businesses to growand move with ease, in a way that historic leasingarrangements cannot provide. The BANES areahas a strong tradition of innovation – we need torecognise the need for growth and provide a rangeof business accommodation to suit both larger andnewer businesses,” said Mr Marshall.

ath is the West of England’s biggestbrand, known across the globe as a centreof historical and cultural excellence. It’s atourist hotspot and the Roman Baths is a

world class attraction, with plans to make it evenmore popular.And therein lies the problem. Just as Bristol has

much more history and culture than people fromfar afield first realise, so Bath has real creativeabilities, cutting edge technology and entrepren-eurial spirit, factors that are sometimes over-looked.Over the next ten years we will preserve and

grow our tourist and retail offering but we will alsocreate a sustainable economy for the long term bydoing three key things.First, we will create the most attractive riverside

Enterprise Area, providing vital modern officespace close to the city centre which will allow ourexisting companies to grow. We have been great atinspiring businesses to start up but it is nowwidelyacknowledged that there is a danger they may beforced to leave the City for want of space. The newoffices will also draw in those businesses fromoutside whowant to operate in the fantasticWorldHeritage Site environment.Second, we will build enough houses to ensure

the people needed to work in Bath can afford tolive therewithout the need for tortuous commutes.We have leading companies, such as BMT, BuroHappold and Rotork who are constantly on thelook out for fresh talent. We will need to help themand others like them to attract the best talent toBath. This means having the courage to take whatsome might see as unpopular decisions when itcomes to giving permission for development. Butlocal politicians can be assured that the businesscommunity will be right behind them when itcomes to voting in favour of what is right. It willmean the young people of Bath can stay in the Citythey love, near their families and pursuing worth-while careers.Third, we will crack the transport conundrum,

allowing people into the centre of Bath whilstreducing the intrusion of vehicles. Several thingswill have to come together. The electrification ofthe main rail line is already coming, which willbring Bath ever closer to London. But we needmore park and ride capacity, including a new siteto the east, which is available 24/7, and betterpublic transport which encourages drivers to leavetheir cars at home. Those things are all possible.Bath businesses are wide ranging with a broad

outlook and they know that we cannot stand as anisolated island. We recognise we must be part of alarger grouping in order to gain both Governmentattention and funding. Bristol provides the eco-nomic engine for that grouping, however itemerges. But Bath canprovide the turbo charger toturn an ordinary vehicle into somethingwith a truenational and international performance.

ilsted Langdon’s Consultant Eco-nomist, Kevin Butler – who recentlyhosted a Business Club Dinner at TheRoyal Crescent Hotel in Bath – be-

lieves that Bath has a diversified economy, inwhich business and consumer services, highvalue-added engineering and the ‘knowledge eco-nomy’ (partly related to the universities) all makeimportant contributions.“The city has recovered strongly from the reces-

sion, but this success has also brought its chal-lenges; shortages of space for new commercial andhousing investment and a transport infrastructurewhich needs to adapt as the city’s economygrows.Capacity is tight, labour and skills are in short

supply and the cost of materials, such as inconstruction, has increased sharply.On the other hand, opportunities for business

growth over the next few years are significant andI’m confident that Bath businesses will convertthis rising demand into higher profitability.”Indeed, since it moved into Queen Square in

Bath, Milsted Langdon – which also has offices inBristol, London, Taunton and Yeovil – has expan-ded significantly as it has seen an increase in itsclient base.Director Peter Groves said: “We first opened the

Bath office because we saw significant growthopportunities in the city but it also reinforced thefirm’s commitment to the businesses and indi-viduals of Bath, who are able to benefit fromlevels of service normally only found at biggerfirms.”Milsted Langdon’s Bath office provides a full

service offering and has developed its services andis led by Partner Ian Lloyd.In the Bath office, Ian and Peter also have the

support of dedicated Tax Partner Rachael Ver-inder, who is a Chartered Tax Advisor with special-isms that include entrepreneurs, high net worthand ultra-high net worth individuals.In addition, Corporate Finance Partner Susan-

nah Adams will spend a large proportion of hertime in Bath advising businesses of all sizes,including listed companies and owner-managedbusinesses in the SME sector that are engaged inM&A activities as well as corporate fund-raising.“Bath truly is a great city to be involved with and

I’m proud of the service we can offer clients fromour base in Queen Square,” said Ian.“I see a bright future ahead, not only for Milsted

Langdon but for Bath too.“This is a world-renowned city which offers

people a great place to live and work and providesan inspiring environment for business.“This is a city that is famous for its pioneers,

artists, scientists and engineers and I believe thatin the future it will continue to be shaped bycreative entrepreneurs working digitally from theirbase in Bath.”

have run the University of Bath’s InnovationCentre at the heart of what is now theEnterprise Area for over ten years. While myteam has been busy working with over 250

high tech, high growth start-up business from ouroffices on Broad Quay, we have seen the areaachieve an incredible transformation, with thenew Southgate Centre and development aroundBath Spa station creating a vibrant new quarter forthe City. What a difference 10 years can make andwhat a positive example of our collective ability tomake a profound change to our environment.Working in the City-centre I am one of the manypeople that appreciate the High Street brands,tempting restaurants and bustling bars as a placesto go and shop, eat anddrink.Howeverwhen I lookahead to what we can and should achieve in thenext 10 years, I hope that this wonderful ‘con-sumers paradise’ will complemented by a similarinvestment in our City’s ability to create, innovateand produce. I hope that the Enterprise Area willbecome the focal point for businesses that havebeen grown or been attracted to Bath by itscompelling lifestyle, great business culture and ofcourse its talented workforce.The opportunity is immense. Our university’s

world class research creates knowledge base inmany of the key enabling technologies that willdetermine the future – the next generation ofdigital, the kind of homes we’ll live in, the cars andvehicles we’ll drive and indeed the air we’llbreathe, the food we’ll eat and the water we’lldrink. These capabilities are founded on people–professors, young researchers, students the staffthat support them– all creating the knowledge thatwill be the building blocks of innovation andbusinesses of the future. The role of the EnterpriseArea is to capture this capability and ensure that asmuch of it as possible is retained in Bath – as start-up businesses founded by our graduating stu-dents, as advisors and consultants for establishedbusinesses that are attracted to set-up Bath be-cause of the easy access to this know-how, and asworld class research facilities a make our City issynonymous with the creation of new ideas andsolution to the world’s biggest problems andopportunities.Wehave the right ingredients, that’sindisputable and has been well-catalogued inmany, many reports written about our potential.The challenge is to translate our potential intoperformance and unless we set about this with realurgency, we run the risk of squandering theopportunity and falling behind lesser cities, manyof which do not have our natural assets, but dohave the get up and go to get things done. I think avision for an Enterprise Area in 2025 is important –but, even more important is a clear idea of thesteps we must take to get there.What should we have achieved by 2020? What

must be done by 2016 in order for us to be on theright track?

BCH-

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#GreaterWest

Find out what this means for you at firstgreatwestern.co.uk/GreaterWest and on Twitter @FGW

We’re proud to have been appointed as custodians of the GreatWestern Railway for another 3½ years. It allows the hard work ofupgrading the network and our services to continue.Together with Network Rail we are in the middle of a £7.5 billionimprovement programme. It represents the greatest investment

man, our vision is to pump lifeblood into the region once more.

bigger, faster, more frequent trains with free on-board Wi-Fi, and anextra 3 million seats per year across the network, by 2018.New Super Express Trains will be introduced from 2017, with 15%more standard class seats. We’re adding 45 services from Bristol to

We will be bringing in bigger, more modern trains from 2016 andadding 52% extra seats to our services in and around Bristol. We’realso investing £50 million in stations with our partners.But our commitment to the region extends beyond the tracks. We’vecreated a £2.2 million fund to help lower-income communities. We’redeveloping a Get Into Railways mentoring programme with thePrince’s Trust. And introducing free travel to interviews for thelong-term unemployed. Helping people, supporting communitiesand improving services. We’ll be working tirelessly for the next3½ years to build a greater west.

continues.

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