Document

THE RDA MAGAZINE JUNE 2007 ISSUE 12

STARBILLINGCelebrities woo culture tourists

Trading placesBlueprint for international success

Investing in scienceRoute to prosperity

Ancoats rebornBringing new life to old mills in Manchester

CONTENTS

THE THIRD DEGREERuth Mackenzie

BUSINESSAerospace sector enters new era

Blueprint for international success

Science plan to stimulate growth

More support for food industry

Home enterprise boom

SKILLS AND EDUCATIONUniversities in new drive to aid industry

Nuclear academy leads skills drive

PEOPLE AND JOBSFiring up Pennine Lancashire economy

Ancoats blends history with enterprise

INFRASTRUCTUREInvestment boost for waterfront park

Investing in new landscapes

QUALITY OF LIFE

-Star-studded lift-off for culture campaign

Festival of gardening excellence

Region bids for Olympics legacy

REGULARSPeople in the region

Event highlights

Getting in touch

HIGHLIGHTS

8 TRADING PLACESAn ambitious, integrated approach to international trade is set to boost the Northwest’s global profile.

10 INVESTING IN SCIENCE A pioneering strategy by Northwest business, academia and government which aims to position the region as a global hotbed of scientific endeavour.

18 ANCOATS REBORN Combining heritage and 21st century living, with developers and public sector agencies injecting new life and energy into one of Manchester’s most neglected but historically significant areas.

OUR VISION:

‘-A dynamic, sustainable international economy which competes on the basis of knowledge, advanced technology and an excellent quality of life for all.’

CONTACTS

Editor Trevor [email protected]

NWDAErica Boardmanemail: [email protected]: 01925 400 217

visit www.nwda.co.uk &www.visitenglandsnorthwest.com

CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE

THE APPLIANCE OF SCIENCE

At the end of April I welcomed over 250 delegates to AstraZeneca’s UK R&D headquarters in Alderley Park, Cheshire, to mark the launch of the second Northwest Science Strategy. The audience included two Nobel Prize winners and a wealth of talent, energy and expertise that ensures the future of our biomedical sector is in excellent hands.The first Northwest Science Strategy was launched back in 2002 and was the first of its kind in England. Since then, the landscape in the region has changed with many successes, including the development of Daresbury, the extension of Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the completion of Project Unity. The aim must now be to build on these successes and ensure that science in the Northwest continues to grow and exceed government targets.

Over £28bn of the Northwest’s GVA is directly provided by science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) related businesses, equating to more than a quarter of the region’s total GVA. We have several multinational players with a significant presence in the region including Unilever, BAE Systems, Rolls Royce, BNFL and of course, AstraZeneca. The presence of these companies in the Northwest is excellent for the economy, directly boosting employment and productivity, and highlights the significance of the science sector.

The implementation of the new strategy is therefore critical to our future success, particularly in terms of reducing the GVA gap with the rest of the country. It prioritises investment in areas of world class excellence and focuses our efforts on continued recognition as a global leader in this field. The ongoing support of the Northwest Science Council will be vital in driving forward this vision.

Importantly, the Strategy will have an important impact on our efforts to deal with the wider challenges we all face, particularly in creating a sustainable economy. The region must ensure that it builds on the success of the 2002 Strategy even further to create a dynamic, sustainable international economy which competes on the basis of knowledge, advanced technology and an excellent quality of life for all.

Bryan Gray, Chairman,

June 2007

THE THIRD DEGREE

RUTH MACKENZIERuth Mackenzie OBE, is the General Director of Manchester International Festival, the only arts festival in the world showcasing original work by globally renowned artists. It runs from 28 June to 15 July 2007 and will be biennial. Ruth has over twenty years experience in the arts including spells as the Artistic Director at Chichester Festival Theatre and General Director of Scottish Opera.

How did you connect with the Festival?Well I’ve been involved with the arts and with theatre for many years. When Alex Poots, the festival’s Artistic Director, approached me and provided such an irresistible pitch, talking about the challenge and how we’d be creating something exciting, I got carried along with it. That’s one of Alex’s wondcerful qualities; he makes you believe. It was a good decision as well. A doubly new one you might say. New on a personal level to work on this kind of project and new because a festival of original work had never been done before.

So the unique theme of Manchester International Festival was key?Exactly. It’s the only one in the world that’s creating everything from the beginning. Most festivals simply go shopping, travel the world, cherry picking events. That’s much safer than what we have done. They know if it’s good, if it works. Our festival has no guarantees. We do know that the artists we’ve chosen are brilliant, that they have a record of creating good work and succeeding, but there’s still an element of doubt. That’s sort of wonderful.

Is it important economically for the city or is it just a good party?Both I hope. Of course, there are economic targets. The total budget is £6 million, which comes from Manchester City Council and sponsors such as United Utilities, the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and Bruntwood. These are serious organisations, who obviously want to be associated with this type of festival, but they’re not in it purely for the love of art, there‘s got to be something else. They want a festival that will give the City, and this region a world-class profile. It’s a natural follow-up to the Commonwealth Games. Manchester’s message is that it’s the original modern city and we’ll reinforce that. For instance what might help an American company to decide to invest in Manchester when they can go anywhere? The idea that a city is self confident enough to deliver this type of festival must impress.

Is this a festival that crosses the socio-economic divide in the region or is it just for the artistically aware?We are determined that the festival should be for everybody. There are lots of free events and family events. The Great Indoors part of the festival at Manchester Central [formerly

G-Mex] involves family activities involving music, musicians, theatre, cooking. There are also concerts down at the Salford Quays with Unknown Pleasures. This is not an elitist festival. Manchester doesn’t work like that.

Does that mean that quality has been compromised by playing to the gallery? Not at all. With Manchester International Festival, we can provide innovation and deliver quality. As I said before this is all pioneering work so we have to trust in the calibre of the performers. But with 25 mainly world and some UK premieres spread over as many venues lined up we’re aiming high. We want everything whether it’s the family events or the Bridgewater Hall events to be world class. Otherwise they won’t be good enough for Manchester.

So there’s something to suit all tastes?Yes, we have the full range from the likes of Kanye West, Lou Reed, Happy Mondays, William Orbit, PJ Harvey and Spanish flamenco troupe Ojos de Brujo. So musically you’ve got everything from hip hop to new interpretations of traditional forms of music. Shisha are showcasing Indian and Pakistani art down in Rusholme. There’s drama with Johnny Vegas and the acclaimed Chinese circus opera, Monkey: Journey to the West.

What’s it been like working with the City Council?I’ve worked in Glasgow, Bradford, Chichester, London, many places and this is the best city to deal with so far. Once the city has bought into an idea it really supports it.

Manchester has a brashy, bolshy, self-confidence perhaps?Well you need a bit of that if you are to achieve anything. I keep pointing out that this festival is remarkably brave. We know we have good artists but there are no guarantees. The City by going for this particular theme is making a statement about its own aspirations and that maybe takes self-confidence.

And what about the greater region, the Northwest? Has there been support for the festival?Absolutely. This is a city and region that pulls together. It’s a natural default mode. In January we won the 2007 Lever Prize. This is awarded annually by The Northwest Business Leadership Team to foster a closer relationship between business and the cultural community. It marks out the world-class organisations across the region. We won it and we’ve not even had the Festival yet. We won it because of the vision of the Festival and the people we’re bringing to the region.

That might surprise many people because the various localities in the Northwest can appear disparate, say in comparison to Yorkshire.That’s not been my experience at all. I’ve only found a spirit of partnership. Outside the Northwest I’ve not found the same thing at all.

How do you think the launch of the International Festival went? Remarkably well. When you spend a year getting to a certain place it can be difficult to see the wood for the trees. You can lose sight of the end product. You need that external feedback to get you back in touch with what you are doing. The reaction to the Festival

was very positive, we sold out four shows in one day. And then we did a press launch in New York.

No London launch then?We didn’t need one. The national press came up here because they had to, because of the nature of the Festival. We felt a New York launch was important to spread the word across the Atlantic.

Does the programme put Manchester International Festival in the top ten festivals in the country?Yes I think it does. Edinburgh Festival has done a report called Thundering Hooves about the threats and opportunities in the world of festivals. We were highlighted as a threat and – just as with the Lever Prize – we’ve not even had one festival yet. To see us that way is a bit ridiculous because Edinburgh’s been going since 1949 and we’re just a baby. But it shows we’re causing a stir. And as a Festival of original work that’s exactly what we want to be doing.

For further information: tel: 0161 238 7300www.manchesterinternationalfestival.com

BUSINESS

NEWS

Business Bridge, a brokerage service venture supported by all of Merseyside’s higher education institutions, has been awarded £425,000 by the NWDA to expand its links with the region’s business community. It provides employers with database access to a potential 60,000 applicants.Rossendale has won the regional heat to find the most enterprising place in Britain and is now eligible for a grant of up to £75,000 from the NWDA to further develop its enterprise activity. It will represent the Northwest in the national final of Enterprising Britain 2007.The final phase of funding to help secure the future of eight of Merseyside's high-performing growth sectors has been announced. The programme will receive £4.3 million from Merseyside's Objective One Programme (ERDF), the NWDA and various private sector sources.Vauxhall Motors, Ellesmere Port, has secured the next generation Astra model in 2010 safeguarding the jobs of the 2,200-strong workforce. The Cheshire plant is one of four European factories selected to build the new Astra. The investment was secured with support from the NWDA.IntelliHep, a Liverpool-based biotechnology company has been awarded a grant by the NWDA-administered National Biomanufacturing Centre (NBC) Access Fund to develop a manufacturing process for heparin based therapeutics as potential treatments for diseases from Alzheimer’s to inflammation.Regional aerospace manufacturers and suppliers will be bidding for more export success when they join the Northwest Aerospace Alliance (NWAA) at the Paris Air Show (Le Bourget June 18-24). Supported by the Agency, the NWAA has the largest regional presence in the UK Pavilion.

AEROSPACE SECTOR ENTERS NEW ERABAE Systems opened a new chapter in the region’s long and illustrious aerospace history with the official on-time handover to its US partner Lockheed Martin of the first aft fuselage of the F-35 Lightning II short take-off and vertical landing aircraft.The April ceremony in front of a gathering of industry VIPs, designers and engineers at the company’s Samlesbury factory marked a milestone in the system development and demonstration (SDD) phase of the Joint Strike Fighter programme, the world’s largest defence contract.

By summer the F-35 manufacturing teams based at three Northwest factories - Warton, Samlesbury, Woodford - will have completed the first vertical and

horizontal tails for the aircraft ahead of its first flight in 2008. Production will be ramped up to one a day by 2014, a pace never seen before in the military aircraft industry.

BAE Systems’ input has set new standards for design innovation, precision engineering and advanced lean manufacture, according to Tom Fillingham, the company’s Managing Director for the programme.

“We have invested heavily in the design process, developing technologies like digital thread which has been adopted by our US partners. This has made things a lot simpler and helps drive down the cost of assembly,” he explained.

The demonstration phase is estimated to be worth £1.3 billion to BAE Systems but production contracts for the three F35 variants over time could boost the order book to over £12 billion securing employment for thousands of Northwest aerospace workers, many in the supply chain.

With an estimated turnover of £6.8 billion and a workforce of 60,000 in nearly 1,000 companies engaged in aerospace plays a pivotal role in the Northwest economy.

Over the next four years the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and the Northwest Aerospace Alliance (NWAA), the business support cluster organisation, will intensify their efforts to improve the sector’s global competitiveness, its ability to innovate and its long-term sustainability.

Projects underway or in the pipeline include a supply chain excellence programme, an aeropark at Samlesbury, an environmentally friendly engine programme and a project related to Unmanned Autonomous Systems (UAV) – intelligent pilotless aircraft – which many believe is the future of defence procurement.

The two organisations are also working to develop niches in systems engineering, virtual engineering and composites/flexible materials technology, areas where Northwest universities excel.

Mark Tooth, Sector Leader for Advanced Engineering and Materials at the NWDA, rejects any notion that aerospace is entering a ‘sunset’ phase. “The industry is changing and there are formidable challenges ahead but there are fantastic opportunities like the Joint Strike Fighter, the UAVs and potentially on the civil side in the next generation of aero engines.”

The Agency’s increasing support for the sector is exemplified by its decision to invest £4.2 million in the NWAA’s drive to elevate Tier 2 supply companies to world-class status. The funding will allow it to continue with its well-supported supply chain workshops and move into a dynamic new phase of developing advanced skills and leadership.

BAE Systems, Airbus and Rolls Royce, who are the main providers of work in the region, have agreed to supply over 20 “mentors” – senior manufacturing people – to work withkey suppliers to improve specific elements of their operation.

“It’s a complex programme and companies have to commit to the change process if they want to be world-class,” explains NWAA’s Executive Director, Martin Wright.

The sector is facing two great challenges, argues Wright. One is the future of manned aircraft and how the industry manages the transition to the era of UAVs,

the other is the need to move from reliance on component manufacturing to systems engineering, the knowledge end of the aerospace industry.

“We have to move up the food chain and the rate at which we move up that ladder is critical. The supply chain programme certainly addresses the issue of accelerated change to match the threat emerging from lower-cost economies such as China and India.”

Aerospace forms a main feature of the new Northwest Science Strategy launched in April and is a priority sector in the Regional Economic Strategy because of its high-value impact on Northwest business. The average GVA per person in aerospace is £63,505, more than twice that of the region’s service sector.

Mark Tooth expects some consolidation in the industry, after which there will be major trade opportunities for Northwest firms in the UK and overseas. Several projects backed by the NWDA underline the potential of the technological advances being made in aerospace.

For example, the Agency is investing £3.7 million in the ASTRAEA project, which is looking at how to overcome the technological, experimental and regulatory hurdles that will allow UAVs to operate in civil airspace.

It is also working with a consortium led by Rolls Royce which is engaged on developing the next generation of environmentally friendly civil aero engines.

For further information: www.aerospace.co.uk

GRANTS AID EXPANSIONTwo supply chain businesses are capitalising on growth opportunities in the region’s fast-changing aerospace industry after securing grant aid from the NWDA.One of them, Liverpool-based Aerogistics Holdings, is relocating to a purpose-built facility at the Estuary Business Park in Speke as part of a £2.4 million expansion programme that will create 116 new jobs and safeguard 87.

Set up by young award winning entrepreneur Tom Dawes in 2003, the company supplies parts for Airbus, Rolls Royce and BAE Systems. It focuses on the clustering of multi-commodity suppliers to provide a one-stop shop service for the aerospace industry.

The move has been underpinned with £1 million of aid from the Selective Finance for Investment Fund (SFI) and an additional £300,000 from Business Liverpool. The Mersey Partnership also provided its support.

Aerogistics Holdings will be recruiting locally and upskilling people through an extensive training programme.

The NWDA has also approved funding of £400,000 to enable BHW (Components) Ltd of Wigan to purchase plant and equipment so the company can fulfil a contract to supply tail assembles for the new Eclipse 500 aircraft, which is being built at Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“WE HAVE TO MOVE UP THE FOOD CHAIN AND THE RATE WHICH WE MOVE UP THAT LADDER IS CRITICAL.”

MARTIN WRIGHTEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

NORTH WEST AEROSPACE ALLIANCE

Forcing the pace – aerospace workers at BAE Systems are setting new standards in lean manufacture

Test flight – the F35 Lightning II,the world’s largest defence contract

BUSINESS

BLUEPRINT FOR INTERNATIONAL SUCCESSThe Northwest is set to boost its global profile by embarking on an ambitious, integrated approach to international trade that will include targeting research-intensive investment from overseas, helping companies access emerging markets and developing international transport connections.Business leaders and public agencies have drawn up a detailed action plan in response to the challenges and opportunities posed by increased globalisation, the demand for advanced skills and the rapid expansion of the Chinese, Indian and East European economies.

Internationalisation is seen as a powerful tool in reducing the region’s £13 billion output gap with the rest of England. Research commissioned by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) found that inward investors are 34% more productive per worker than the regional average and pay 29% more in wages.

The development of a three-year internationalisation strategy is one of the 45 transformational actions identified in the Regional Economic Strategy (RES) and has been developed by the International Business Forum, chaired by NWDA Board member Anil Ruia.

STEP CHANGEThe Forum, an alliance of industry and public sector organisations including UK Trade and Investment, has gone for a broader thrust than in the past by including trade, inward investment, education, research concentrations, marketing, tourism and transport in the same package of actions.

“This is a real step change in the way we tackle internationalisation,” explains Richard Jeffery, Strategy Manager – International at the NWDA who coordinated the plan on behalf of the Forum.

“Our prosperity is heavily influenced by our ability to maintain global competitiveness. The Northwest clearly faces some threats from globalisation that will lead to structural changes in employment and the way supply chains operate but overall we believe it will present us with major opportunities.”

The region did well last year in attracting 112 projects creating and safeguarding 6803 jobs. Foreign investment now accounts for one in nine of Northwest jobs. However, attracting foreign direct investment is getting tougher and more effort will now be focused on attracting smaller, higher-value R&D projects and research-based investment linked to universities.

The £29 million investment by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to help the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine step up the fight against malaria is a classic example of the type of project being sought.

One of the strategic goals is to work with higher and further education sectors to increase the number of overseas students studying at Northwest universities and

HE colleges and to ensure that they are better linked into the region’s economy through work placements and awareness of the wider visitor offer.

Overseas students currently contribute £500 million to the regional economy and many are regarded as potential inward investors of the future.

CHINESE INVESTORSEfforts will be prioritised around developing the six internationally competitive sectors outlined in the RES, maximising the potential of the region’s science base and HE assets, and targeting key markets like China, whose economy is predicted to expand by over 10% this year.

The recent investment by seven Chinese trading companies in Manchester following a networking event hosted by the NWDA and law firm Aughton Ainsworth International is firm evidence of the city’s growing appeal as a popular business location with Asian firms.

Additional resources are being made available by the Agency to underpin a co-ordinated programme of activities geared to the strategy.

UKTI is planning to run schemes such as the successful ‘Meet the Buyer’ programme, which generated export business worth £20 million between 2004 and 2006, more than double the original £8 million target.

Backed by the NWDA, this innovative programme turns the traditional exhibition format on its head by bringing together international buyers and UK suppliers but placing the former rather than the latter on the stands.

The Forum has built a series of detailed actions around six prime objectives and established a number of clear regional targets including increasing the number of inward investment projects by 38 to 150 a year by 2010 with 17% of them R&D intensive investments compared to the current 8%.

Improving the region’s international connections is another key aim. Among the projects singled out to achieve this are the Olive Mount Chord scheme to improve freight access to the Port of Liverpool and the Manchester Airport Third Rail Platform investment.

The NWDA has also launched a £6.5 million Air Services Development Fund Alternative Measures programme to help regional airports attract new carriers and increase passenger numbers.

For further information: email: [email protected] tel: 01925 400527www.nwda.co.uk

TRADING PLACESThe Northwest has consolidated its position as England’s best performing exporting region outside London and the South East and is only one of two English regions to contribute positively to the UK’s balance of payments.

Exports rose by a massive 23% from £19.3 billion to £23.7 billion between 2005 and 2006 with chemicals and pharmaceuticals contributing 44% of that total. The region now accounts for 14% of England’s exports and 10% of all UK overseas sales.

“International trade produces business opportunities for Northwest companies but they need to do their homework and prepare for it, and there are support services available to help them,” says Mike Eccleshall, Deputy Director, UKTI North West.

UKTI runs a number of programmes in the region to help new companies realise their overseas sales potential including Meet the Buyer and the flagship Passport to Export service which helps novice exporters sell their products to target markets.

The latter scheme has helped Wigan-based atg-willand increase export sales of its products from 16% to 55% in the past three years trebling business profit and earning Chris Purslow, the firm’s Managing Director, the accolade of ‘International Business Director of the Year’ at the Institute of Directors awards at the City of Manchester Stadium.

A world leader in ultra violet water disinfection systems – a green alternative to chemical methods – the company has recently been awarded a grant for a £260,000 R&D project to develop a ship’s ballast water treatment system that would enable them to compete in an emerging billion pound market.

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine – new investment is helping win the fight against Maleria

Dynamic economy – China is a key investment market

BUSINESS

SCIENCE PLAN TO STIMULATE GROWTH

Business, academia and government in the Northwest have created an ambitious plan that aims to position the region as a global hotbed of scientific endeavour focused on tackling some of the key global challenges including climate change and the spread of infectious diseases.Over the next three years the region will push forward with a series of initiatives that will add more world-class centres of excellence to the science infrastructure, speed up the commercialisation of leading edge research and build a workforce that can respond quickly to technological change.

Action will be focused on four priority sectors critical to the Northwest’s £106 billion economy – aerospace, biohealth, chemicals and nuclear. All are areas where the region enjoys a competitive advantage.

“We have to be brave and create an environment where we can do big, bold things,” Bryan Gray, Chairman of the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), told a 250-strong gathering of VIPs from industry, academia, and government at the unveiling of the second Northwest Science Strategy.

Science and innovation are seen as important tools in narrowing the £15 billion GVA gap between the Northwest and the rest of England, and are identified as transformational priorities in the Regional Economic Strategy.

Hosted by Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, the launch event was held at AstraZeneca’s research campus at Alderley Park, Cheshire, and coincided with company celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of an R&D facility at the site.

The Northwest Science Council, which is chaired by Jeremy Scudamore, consulted widely in developing the strategy. The Council, the first of its kind in the regions when established in 2002, brings together the private sector, universities and otherscience partners.

AMBITIOUS STRATEGYProfessor Dominic Tildesley, Chief Scientist at Unilever, said the Council wanted to “raise the brand of Northwest science and create a powerhouse of ideas.”

He added; “We have been very clear about the region’s priorities and have had to make some difficult decisions. We want to demonstrate to government that money invested here gives a very good return.”

Alistair Darling, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, who attended the event, reminded guests that the region’s three main universities had 28 Nobel Prizewinners among their alumni. “You have set out an ambitious strategy which the government will back to the hilt,” he said.

Professor Alan Gilbert, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manchester, sounded a warning that the region had to do a lot of catching up to become as successful as the South East. “Let us be audaciously ambitious in pursuing this strategy because we have a very big chasm to jump and it is getting wider,” he said.

Keynote speaker was Dr. Edward de Bono, the guru of lateral thinking, who had earlier attended the official opening of the De Bono Foundation’s first UK office in Manchester. Its mission will be to increase the teaching of constructive and creating thinking as a skill.

The science infrastructure across the Northwest has dramatically improved since the launch of the first strategy in 2002. Nearly a dozen new projects have been completed ranging from Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus to Infolab21 in Lancaster.

Private sector R&D investment in the region rose from £1.6 billion per annum in 2003 to £1.9 billion in 2005 (AstraZeneca has invested £500 million alone in its Alderley Park site since 2000). There has also been a sharp increase in the number of innovation-active companies, up from 44% in 2001 (7th in England) to 58% in 2005 (2nd in England).

STRATEGIC PILLARSThe NWDA has recognised the important role of science and innovation in boosting regional prosperity and is on course to invest £280 million in science and innovation-related projects over a four year period.

Bryan Gray told those attending the launch event that the science strategy “will have an important impact on our efforts to deal with the wider challenges we all face, particularly in creating a sustainable economy and adapting to changes faced by the issues relating to climate change.”

The strategy is constructed around three underpinning ‘foundations’ – international excellence, exploitation of science and skills – and six strategic ‘pillars’. These focus on aerospace, biohealth, chemicals, nuclear, emerging opportunities and strategic science sites.

In the exploitation of science, for example, the main thrust will be on encouraging SMEs to engage more in R&D and innovation, speeding up the flow of people between the academic and business sectors and promoting science and technology-based entrepreneurship.

Among the seven priority actions listed for skills is the development of a regional Science Support Centre to help the education sector engage young people in science, and the progression of skills academies for nuclear, manufacturing and chemicals.

Professor Tildesley said there was a real need in the region for highly trained technical support staff and it was important the college sector stepped up a gear to provide the higher-level NVQ courses and qualifications now required by science and technology driven companies.

“We have to ensure that the Northwest workforce is much more adaptable so we can reposition these people to support technological change.”

For further information: www.northwestscience.co.uk

“YOU HAVE SET OUT AN AMBITIOUS STRATEGY WHICH THE GOVERNMENT WILL BACK TO THE HILT”

ALISTAIR DARLINGSECRETARY OF STATEFOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY

PRIORITIES FOR ACTION Detailed action plans – and goals – have been drawn up to stimulate business growth and increased competitiveness in six ‘pillar’ areas of the regional economy where science and innovation are key drivers of commercial success. Here is a snapshot of some of the priorities:Aerospace: a focus on emerging technologies that build on national strengths such as autonomous air systems (pilotless platforms) and development of an environmentally friendly engine.

Biohealth: enhanced support for the healthcare industry, particularly in medical devices and diagnostics and developing competences only where there is an opportunity to become world-class.

Chemicals: creation of a virtual knowledge centre for Materials Chemistry and more industry promotion to foster interest in scientific subjects among young people.

Nuclear: support activity in reactor technology and the greater involvement of senior scientists and ex-industry employees in teaching, mentoring and course development.

Emerging Opportunities: identifying the most influential regional players and temporary resources available to respond to short-term opportunities.

Strategic Science Sites: growing the capacity of Manchester Science City, Daresbury, Merseyside Science Park (and Speke Biotech), and West Cumbria.

- The strategy is designed to build on the achievements of the first strategy launched in 2002. “Much has been achieved but much remains to be done,” stressed Professor Dominic Tildesley, a member of the Northwest Science Council.

Ideal setting – the strategy was launched at AstraZeneca’s Alderley Park research campus

World-class technology – the region’s nuclear sector is a priority action area

BUSINESS

MORE SUPPORT FOR FOOD INDUSTRYSmall food producer Colin Woodall is rightly proud of his Cumbrian air-dried ham. He claims it is the equal of more celebrated Continental brands and is winning over some of the UK’s biggest retailers.From May his family-owned company will be supplying the product to 104 Tesco stores, a deal that will boost business turnover of the 30-employee firm by ten per cent. Tesco is also looking at stocking his renowned sausages and cured bacon.

“Our air-dried ham is becoming increasingly popular because of the growing consumer interest in reducing food miles from imported products,” explains Colin, Managing Director of Richard Woodall, which is based in Waberthwaite, West Cumbria. The company has been in existence for nearly 180 years.

The company made the breakthrough after attending a ‘Tesco Link Day’, a successful meet-the-buyer event sponsored by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and other partners. Over 40 regional food manufacturers attended the event.

More major initiatives are underway to help the region’s £9.5 billion food and drink industry improve its competitiveness. They include the creation of Food Northwest, a single business support organisation for the sector, a new five-year strategy for the industry and the formation of a stakeholder forum, which will have wide representation from across the food and drink sector and from related sectors such as health and tourism. The organisation will be headed up by Patricia Foreman, former Chief Executive of the Northwest Food Alliance.

The food and drink sector is an increasingly important part of the regional economy accounting for 10% of its output and employing 448,000.

Launched in April, Food Northwest merges the activities of the Northwest Foods Alliance and the Northwest Fantastic Foods Partnership into one body making it easier for companies to know whom to contact for help and advice. It will work closely with Business Link Northwest and the 20 specialist brokers providing support in the cluster.

Food Northwest will coordinate delivery of the newly launched Northwest Food and Drinks Strategy, which provides a clear vision for the sector for the next five years. A detailed action plan is being developed and will be published later this year.

It will focus effort and resources on six priority areas: market development, productivity and skills, healthy eating, the benefits of environmental sustainability, sustainable farming and food, and the image of the food and drink industry.

The restructuring will mean that, for the first time, funding allocated by the NWDA to support the sector will flow through one business support organisation to key contract partners such as Made in Cheshire, Made in Lancashire, Made in Cumbria, North West Fine Foods and the North West Organic Centre.

FOOD PORTAL

Funding of £1.6 million is already being made available by the NWDA and Objective One to develop a virtual Innovations Centre, Foodport, which includes an ambitious e-commerce portal for the sector to improve communications across the supply chain and facilitate trading.

The AIMES Centre at the University of Liverpool is developing Foodport in three stages with the first phase being rolled out across the region in October. It will compromise a number of zones including a foodservice marketplace, a jobs market, an ebay style auction area, an innovative route to market and an e-procurement system.

It has been designed following wide consultation with food industry executives. An e-community study found that 25% of food companies are not connected to any sort of e-business, making this a significant barrier to growth.

“Foodport will provide companies, particularly small producers and suppliers, with a valuable new tool to improve connectivity and competitiveness,” explained Patricia Foreman.

For further information:www.foodnw.co.uk

Local produce – the rich fertile soil ofWest Lancashire is ideal for vegetable growing

Farmhouse fayre – Cumbria has its own distinctive cheeses

Cottage industry – fudge making is awell-practised art

HOME ENTERPRISE BOOM

Homeworking is spreading its wings with more than 50% of new businesses in the Northwest starting from a home base and it is rapidly becoming more sophisticated. Although the ‘computer on the dining room table’ version still exists, more self-employed home workers are expanding into dedicated offices within the house or separate buildings outside.

‘Homeworking in England’s Northwest’, a project launched in August last year (2006) to increase levels of homeworking across the region, organised a two-year series of events and activities to encourage and support those involved in the move.

The programme is backed by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), whose acting Head of Regional ICT Policy Andrew Halliwell is the project sponsor.

“We know that the Northwest is already home to thousands of at-home entrepreneurs and employees who are making use of one of the UK’s leading IT infrastructures with over 99% broadband coverage across the region,” he says.

“Enterprises embracing flexible working enjoy a 20% productivity gain on average and bring people who may have been under-employed back into the economy.”

The most buoyant homeworking sectors are business and professional services, IT, design and retail and homeworkers can gain advice and support from the project’s events, publications and a dedicated website.

The project, run by Emma Jones of Redbrick Enterprises Ltd, a consultancy specialising in homeworking for regional development agencies, has led to the formation of the Northwest Flexible Working Group.

BENEFITS ARE APPARENTSupported by both the public and private sectors, it has developed a ‘Prospectus of Opportunity’ outlining the benefits of flexible working and an action plan.

Emma, who is also editor of the homeworking website Enterprise Nation, says: “We know there is a major job to be done to overcome the barriers which exist in some companies to allowing flexible working for at least some of their employees, but the benefits are apparent.”

That message was reiterated by Caroline Waters, Director of People and Policy at BT, who showed the benefits of a flexible work programme involving 70,000 employees when she addressed a Flexible Working Symposium, hosted by the NWDA in Manchester in March.

FEWER JOURNEYSRob and Caroline Hindle set up their successful economic development consultancy Rural Innovation in 2001, working from a dedicated room in their converted barn home near Clitheroe.

“At the time it provided the least risk option,” says Rob. “For those people who can make the move and adjust to the culture of homeworking, it is ideal.

“It must be right to make fewer unnecessary journeys to an office and it means we are very much part of the local community, using local suppliers and our local Post Office.”

Last year, when the business had grown to employ one person full-time and some part-timers, Rob needed more space and decided to build a 50 sq m office in the grounds of his former farmstead, in the style of a stone shippon.

Rob admits that three years into the business, he “got cold feet” about whether his clients, many in the public sector, were happy with his home base.

“I surveyed them and they all said they did not mind where we were as long as the quality of our output was acceptable. In fact clients often say they love coming here to meetings.”

For further information: www. homeworkingnw.co.ukwww.enterprisenation.com

“WE KNOW THERE IS A MAJOR JOB TO BE DONE TO OVERCOME THE BARRIERS WHICH EXIST IN SOME COMPANIES TO ALLOW FLEXIBLE WORKING FOR AT LEAST SOME OF THEIR EMPLOYEES, BUT THE BENEFITS ARE APPARENT.”

EMMA JONESREDBRICK ENTERPRISES

SKILLS AND EDUCATION

NEWS

St. Martin’s College has announced the official award of university status by the Privy Council. It will amalgamate with Cumbria Institute of the Arts in Carlisle and the Cumbrian campuses of the University of Central Lancashire on August 1st to become the University of Cumbria.Lancaster University Management School has reported that owners of small and medium size enterprises who took part in its Leading Enterprise and Development (LEAD) programme recorded an average annual sales increase of £200,000. Funded by the NWDA, LEAD focuses on developing the leadership skills of owner managers.Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine is to receive an additional $23 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to further its research into malaria on top of the $50 million grant awarded by the Foundation in 2005. The School is doubling in size with the help of £18 million of funding from the NWDA and Objective One.Northern Edge, a collaborative higher education project to provide new professional development services for the creative and cultural industries across the north, is being supported with £500,000 from The Northern Way Growth Fund. Professor Ron Cook of the University of Salford is leading the initiative.Lancaster University has launched a new Centre for Medical Education to increase the number of doctors in North Lancashire and Cumbria. Its Director is Professor Anne Garden. Students will follow Liverpool Medical School’s highly regarded curriculum and graduate with a University of Liverpool degree. Northwest scientists are creating a European ‘first’ by establishing a new research facility at Manchester Metropolitan University that will help the aviation industry reduce aircraft emissions. Backed by £500,000 funding from The Northern Way, Project Alpha is being developed in association with the Universities of Manchester and Sheffield.

UNIVERSITIES IN NEW DRIVE TO AID INDUSTRYEight research-intensive northern universities have joined forces in a unique effort to help northern business and industry innovate faster and gain a larger share of rapidly changing global markets.Backed by £6 million of funding from The Northern Way initiative, the consortium plans to establish new research centres to work in five thematic areas – ageing and health, energy, molecular engineering, regenerative medicine and sustainable water use.

Two of the intellectual networks will be led from universities in the Northwest. Lancaster will host one focusing on sustainable water use and Manchester will provide the academic lead on energy.

It is the first time that a group of UK universities have formed a jointly held company – N8 Ltd – specifically to work together, and to work with business.

Teams of researchers from each of the universities will work on programmes agreed with industry. The other institutions involved are Durham, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield and York.

Mark Hughes, Executive Director of Enterprise, Innovation and Skills at the Northwest Regional Development Agency, (NWDA), one of the three RDAs in The Northern Way partnership, described the creation of N8 Ltd as “a real step-change” for the North.

“It demonstrates that these institutions are really serious about sharing their knowledge with business, and are more open to meeting business needs for new products, processes and services.”

Launched at a ceremony in Leeds, the N8 partnership has attracted the support of some of the North’s biggest companies.

N8 Chief Executive Professor David Secher said the consortium’s focus would be on “high quality, globally competitive research” and would seek to attract follow-up funding from the UK Research Councils.

He also expected the centres would be able to generate financial support from industry as practical solutions emerged from the collaborative effort but this was not the primary aim.

“There will be no begging bowl approach. It’s more important to have a dialogue with business about their long-term problems, interests and needs. That is not something that needs more money being thrown at it.”

BUSINESS PLANS

The N8 partnership aims to match and complement the intellectual excellence of the golden triangle of Oxford, Cambridge and London.

Business plans are being drawn up to identify research priorities and these will be published shortly. Each of the centres will recruit a business manager to develop the increased commercial activity that is likely to flow from new industrial linkages.

Professor Louise Heathwaite, Director of Lancaster University’s Centre for Sustainable Water Management, will be the lead academic on sustainable water use and Professor Nick Jenkins, Director of the Joule Centre, will provide the leadership on energy.

Professor Heathwaite singled out three key areas in her discipline where academic expertise could benefit industry – water conservation, clean-up technologies and water as a hazard to the environment and human health.

“Business is not interested just in knowledge but in using that knowledge for commercial gain. That’s why we have to work much closer with them”.

For further information: tel: David Secher 0114 2224160email: [email protected]

Academic experience – eight Northern universities will share their knowledge with industry

NUCLEAR ACADEMY LEADS SKILLS DRIVE

Two world-class facilities, one focused on training, the other research-driven, are being established in the Northwest in response to the huge challenges and opportunities facing nuclear industry employers in the next decade and beyond, particularly in decommissioning.West Cumbria will be home to both centres. They are expected to have an influential impact on the area’s economy, which is heavily dependent on the defence and nuclear sectors. Investment in the two projects will total nearly £40 million.

The Nuclear Academy, which is currently under construction, will retrain the existing 19,500 employees in the region and offer new career pathways for many of the 10,000 recruits that the nuclear sector nationally will require over the next 10 years as it moves deeper into the clean-up stage.

The other facility, a £20 million cutting-edge laboratory, will provide academic expertise and state-of-the art equipment to drive forward research into radiation sciences and engineering decommissioning.

Housed in an iconic building due to open in September 2008, the industry-led Academy will be the Northwest delivery arm of the National Skills Academy for Nuclear (NSAN), whose Shadow Board has also agreed to locate the NSAN head office in West Cumbria.

UK Young Apprentice of the Year Matthew McCarry, broke the turf at the site of the new facility on the Lillyhall Industrial Estate, near Workington, at a launch event in March.

The £18 million centre will provide education, high quality vocational training and business support for large employers and SMEs in a unique simulated work environment.

It’s envisaged that most of the 8,000 people currently employed at Sellafield and many of those in Tier 1 and 2 supply companies will need reskilling to meet the industry’s future needs in areas such as decommissioning, energy production, potential new build and defence.

EMPLOYER SUPPORT

The Academy is a partnership between the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and West Lakes Renaissance with a combined contribution of £6 million to the project, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), which is contributing £5 million and British Nuclear Group with £2 million of funding support.

Jean Llewellyn who has been seconded by the NWDA to steer the NSAN concept to fruition, is pleased with employer support for the Academy.

She recently received a donation of £20,000 from the Washington Group International on behalf of the NSAN towards a project office during the construction phase. “We are working to ensure that skills development and training is entirely employer-led and meets the needs of key sectors,” she says.

The National Skills Academy network is a government initiative to improve productivity and tackle skill shortages in England across key industries.

In another recent development the NDA and the University of Manchester’s Dalton Nuclear Institute have agreed to collaborate on setting up a new world-class nuclear research centre with each investing £10 million over seven years.

The facility, which will initially house around 60 staff and postgraduate students, will be built on the Westlakes Science and Technology Park, near Whitehaven.

Key personnel have been attracted to the region to drive the projects.

Morecambe-born Andrew King, currently Sales and Project Director with Flagship Training Ltd, is relocating to Cumbria from Southampton following his appointment as the Academy’s first ever Chief Executive.

In another example of the ‘brain drain’ in reverse Professor Simon Pimblott has been appointed from the United States to head up the Dalton Nuclear Institute’s research into radiation sciences.

For further information: www.thenuclearacademy.com

“WE ARE WORKING TO ENSURE THAT SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING IS ENTIRELY EMPLOYER-LED AND MEETS THE NEEDS OF KEY SECTORS.”

JEAN LLEWELLYNPROJECT DIRECTOR

NSAN

VIP for a day – UK Young Apprentice of the Year Matthew McCarry

Training for the future – The Nuclear Academy is industry led

PEOPLE AND JOBS

NEWS

Greggs, the UK’s leading bakery retailer, is moving its east Manchester bakery to a new site in Openshaw as part of a £16 million deal that will secure over 300 jobs for local people. The NWDA is supporting the project through New East Manchester, with grant aid of £7 million.Five BBC departments will be relocated from London to mediacity:uk at Salford Quays, following confirmation of an agreement between the corporation and developers Peel Holdings. The £400 million deal signals the start of work on mediacity:uk, an internationally significant hub for the media and creative industries. NWDA Chairman Bryan Gray called the decision ‘a momentous day’ for the project.Work is underway to create a new £10 million international business park at the former MTL bus depot and Marconi sites on Edge Lane in Liverpool. The scheme is supported by £4.6 million of investment from the NWDA and due for completion in April 2008.Economist Andrew Lewis, is the new Director of The Northern Way, the partnership of the three northern regional development agencies. He has wide experience of regional government and prior to joining the Government Office for the North East (GONE) headed the Tax Policy Team at the Treasury.Cheshire’s Rural Enterprise Programme has surpassed all targets well ahead of its five-year deadline by creating 751 jobs, safeguarding a further 542, kick starting 115 new businesses and supporting a further 1,012. Established in 2003 by the NWDA, the programme has leveraged in three times the £10 million invested by the Agency.Joanne Jennings, currently Chief Executive of Belfast City Centre Management Company, has been named as Chief Executive of Grosvenor’s Liverpool One retail development, Europe’s biggest city centre regeneration project.

FIRING UP PENNINE LANCASHIRE’S ECONOMY

Pennine Lancashire is shaking off the legacy of its historic ‘cottonopolis’ roots and revitalising its own and the region’s economic prospects for the 21st century.Education, training, employment, housing, the environment and the arts are all key elements in an agenda designed to transform a region which has faced major economic difficulties into a vibrant, attractive Pennine Lancashire.

The long-term task for the area dominated by the towns of Blackburn, Burnley, Accrington, Nelson and Colne, is being co-ordinated by many agencies working together to fire up the area’s economic engine.

Ian Whittaker, Policy and Partnerships Manager at the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) which supports many of the initiatives, says: “The Pennine Lancashire towns, which share a similar economic history, now have to develop their own unique selling points for growing their economies in a sustainable way.”

The first draft of a Transformational Agenda, originated by the housing market renewal company ELEVATE to provide a framework for renewal across Pennine Lancashire, was completed in May 2007.

Max Steinberg, Chief Executive of ELEVATE, which has attracted £168 million of investment in the last four years, says: “Tangible signs of improvements in the housing market are being felt in the neighbourhoods which have seen investment and the market will also benefit from the increasing pace at which other parts of the Agenda are being driven forward.”

Plans to improve training and employment opportunities are a key thread in the regeneration blueprint.

The ultimate ambition is for East Lancashire to have its own university, according to Carol Fern, Economic Policy and Strategy Manager of the East Lancashire Leaders and Chief Executives group known as ELCHEX.

“The lack of a university forces our own bright young people to go away to other cities and without such an institution we cannot attract students from other parts of the UK.”

The existing nearby universities of Lancaster and Central Lancashire (UCLan) and the Further Education (FE) colleges are working together to secure more Higher Education (HE) places on campuses to be developed in Burnley and Blackburn, linked to the needs of local employers.

Plans are well advanced to develop a new £72 million HE/Further Education campus in Burnley, linked to a £20 million enterprise park providing high-quality space for new businesses.

The NWDA is investing £10 million in the project and in April UCLan won funding approval from the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) for a £10 million university centre on the campus.

Although the region’s cotton manufacturing roots have all but disappeared, other areas of advanced manufacturing, such as aerospace, are still vital to Pennine Lancashire’s economy. Manufacturing employment is well above the regional and UK average and in Pendle it is as high as 28%.

The region’s agencies are keen to support companies like Aircelle, a subsidiary of the SAFRAN Group, a leading player in the worldwide aircraft engine nacelles and reverse thrusters market.

MEDI-PARK SCHEME

Employing around 600 people in Burnley, the company is in discussions about expansion on to the adjoining former Michelin site, already home to the Lancashire Digital Technology Centre.

Other sites earmarked for employment growth are Whitebirk, near Blackburn which is the subject of a planning application for high-value growth sector businesses including advanced manufacturing and digital creative industries, Capricorn Park near Blackburn, and Mercury Rise, outside Accrington.

Also in Blackburn, a 15-acre site next to the Royal Blackburn Hospital is being developed as a medi-park, with manufacturers able to respond to the needs of health practitioners.

Steve Hoyle, Assistant Director of Regeneration for Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council says: “We are bringing the two together to develop a critical mass of medical-related support, linking in with UCLan which has a number of areas of expertise.”

Successful town centres with high quality public space are also integral to the successful regeneration of Pennine Lancashire. The NWDA is supporting a £13 million renaissance plan in Blackburn and has invested £400,000 to kick start a mixed-use retail and office space development in Nelson town centre.

In Burnley, plans for the historic Weavers’ Triangle have attracted two major investors who have outline planning approval for schemes that include offices and workshops, leisure – possibly to include a hotel –and some residential space.

Hugh Simpson, Head of Regeneration and Economic Development for Burnley, says: “Weavers’ Triangle is a substantial area of relatively untouched heritage in which we can create an exciting high-quality environment which will help to change the image of Pennine Lancashire.”

Three of the four Panopticons – literally “all seeing structures” – chosen through an international architectural competition to stand on high points of East Lancashire as symbols of its regeneration – are now in place.

The fourth, The Halo, is expected to be completed in Rossendale by early summer to join Colourfields in Blackburn, The Atom in Wycoller and The Singing Ringing Tree above Burnley.

For further information:www.penninelancashire.co.uk

INITIATIVE TO MENTOR THE REGION’S YOUNG PEOPLE

The Prince’s Trust is a key piece of the East Lancashire jigsaw. Its unique Community Programme, which recruits and trains volunteers to mentor young people, actively engaging with those from ethnic minority communities, is already demonstrating extremely positive results.

The initiative, which began in Blackburn in 2000 has expanded into Burnley.

It supported 127 new young people in the year to March 2007. Of those, 36% were helped into education, 31% into training and 11% into employment. The Prince’s

Trust is continuing to work with the 12% who remained unemployed and 1% who were in prison.

Jane Farrell, Manager of the East Lancashire Community Programme, said: “ These are very positive outcomes for both the young people and for the work of the Trust.”

Around 50 volunteers, recruited from across Burnley, Pendle and Blackburn are currently involved in the East Lancashire Community Programme with a further 20 ready to start training.

“THE PENNINE LANCASHIRE TOWNS, WHICH SHARE A SIMILAR ECONOMIC HISTORY, NOW HAVE TO DEVELOP THEIR OWN UNIQUE SELLING POINTS FOR GROWING THEIR ECONOMIES IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY.”

IAN WHITTAKERPOLICY AND PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER

NWDA

Waterfront heritage – the Leeds-Liverpool Canal is a key feature of the Weavers’ Triangle

Temple of learning – a visualisation of the new UCLan centre

PEOPLE AND JOBSANCOATS BLENDS HISTORY WITH ENTERPRISE

Developers and public sector agencies are injecting new life and energy into one of Manchester’s most neglected but historically significant areas demonstrating that heritage and 21st century living can come together in fruitful co-existence.The transformation of Ancoats, the world’s first industrial suburb and a former home of King Cotton, into a mixed-use urban village on the eastern edge of the city centre, is beginning to attract major investment and an inflow of people eager to rekindle its former vibrancy and enterprise.

Once a byword for abandonment and decay, the area is set for a Phoenix-like revival as property companies, investment funds and regeneration agencies pool their resources to acquire land and bring forward imaginative developments and new public realm works.

The triple-award winning Royal Mills scheme where ING Real Estate Development is engineering a spectacular restoration of one of the UK’s most historically important cotton spinning complexes reflects the confidence seeping back into the area.

Completion of the first stage of the £85 million scheme has involved the installation of a spectacular but technically challenging £1 million central courtyard atrium.

Guided by heritage experts and industrial historians, ING has retained and restored many of the mills’ original features including stone staircases, exposed brickwork, vaulted ceilings, cast iron pillars columns and pillar supports.

“This is no ordinary development – we are preserving and restoring the area’s history and heritage for future generations,” says ING’s Joint Managing Director Siep Hoeksama. The Dutch property company has completed 198 of the planned 315 residential units and 82,500 sq ft (7664 sq m) of business space.

Spread over five years, the development – alongside the now navigable Rochdale Canal – is the biggest piece of the Ancoats jigsaw, which itself is an integral component of the wider regeneration of east Manchester.

Other developers have been attracted by the area’s compelling mix of heritage and commercial potential and are well advanced with a variety of refurbishment and new build schemes covering a wide property spectrum from residential and office to retail and leisure.

Some schemes like Artisan’s Express Networks are proving popular with media and design businesses while others such as the Burrell-InPartnership joint venture at the Grade II listed Murrays’ Mills offer young urbanites a chance to acquire homes in the oldest surviving steam powered urban cotton mill.

The area owes its ongoing revival to the partnership efforts of the Ancoats Urban Village Company (AUVC), which is supported by New East Manchester Urban

Regeneration Company, the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), English Partnerships and Manchester City Council.

INVESTOR CONFIDENCEThe pace of regeneration has quickened since the NWDA used its Compulsory Purchase Order powers to acquire land and buildings.

Of the 45 plots assembled for development 11 are fully developed, seven are on site and 19 have preferred developer status with negotiations at an advanced stage. In some cases owners have agreed to do the work themselves.

“The CPO provides everyone with confidence and certainty that the whole of the area is going to be transformed,” explains NWDA Executive Director Ian Haythornthwaite, who has overall responsibility within the Agency for Ancoats.

“We want to make sure that high quality developments drive the area forward.”

The Agency is planning to invest a total of £27 million in the CPO area. In addition it is providing gap funding of over £15 million on six projects including Royal Mills (£8 million) and Murrays’ Mills (£4.7 million).

It hopes this support just in the eight hectares covered by the CPO will attract private sector investment of £322 million and deliver 50,000 sq metres of commercial floor space, 1,800 apartments and 1,600 new jobs, many in the professional and creative sectors.

Stefan Brzozowski, AUVC’s Development Manager, expects the wider 20 ha area under regeneration will accommodate a residential population of 3,000, and a business community of around 1,500, many of whom will walk or cycle to work.

“We would like to attract families to return to the area and we are encouraging developers to make larger residential units available to make this feasible. A new primary school is planned on the other side of the canal and a medical practice has opened so social amenities are returning.”

Good planning and design, investment in public realm and some unusual peephole art, are key features of the plan to revive the area.

Planners intend to retain the densely packed character of the buildings and its well-preserved grid of narrow streets but aim to add more interest by providing more public spaces, including a new square outside the restored Italianate St. Peters Church, which will become the home of the Embroiderers’ Guild.

Developers are adding a new dimension to the rebirth of Ancoats. Among the eye-catching projects being lined up is the adventurous Blossom Street Renewal scheme, a sustainable housing development, backed by Igloo Regeneration.

A distinctive feature of the building will be a roof comprising a series of five folding ribbons that fuses together all the elements of the development – 37 new apartments, car parking, commercial space and an existing pub, the Edinburgh Castle – into a new structure.

“We want people coming into the area to live and work to respect its past but we don’t want it preserved in aspic”, stresses Lyn Fenton, NEM’s Development Director (Ancoats). “It will have very modern buildings next to old ones but that seems entirely consistent with the entrepreneurial ethic of the industrious people who built Ancoats.”

For further information: www.auvc.co.ukTAKING A PEEK INTO THE PASTArtist Dan Dubowitz has introduced an intriguing new dimension into the public realm improvements taking place in Ancoats by installing a series of peepholes for people to discover the area’s past. Using a series of brass ‘port holes’ embedded into the brick fabric of some of the area’s most historic buildings, he provides a clever insight into the heritage and human activity that gave the cotton industry enclave its distinctive character.

When ‘The Peeps’ project is completed there will be up to 20 of the optical systems offering viewers a trip back in time. Ten have been installed so far in locations as varied as a church belltower and a tunnel which used to connect two mills.

Others offer views of machines and mechanisms that remind people of the days when cotton spinning was a major generator of leading edge technology. All of the telescope-like devices look into spaces that have been immured (walled up) within the various buildings.

The Italian-based artist adopted a less conventional approach to his creative mission by becoming the third member of the public realm team (along with an engineer and landscape architect).

“I went into buildings being cleared and felt a real presence of what happed there but we have tried to avoid dealing with the past in any museum sense. We’ve gone for something more subtle, it’s more like echoes of the past,” he says.

For further information: www.neweastmanchester.com

“THE CPO PROVIDES EVERYONE WITH CONFIDENCE AND CERTAINTY THAT THE WHOLE OF THE AREA IS GOING TO BE TRANSFORMED”

IAN HAYTHORNTHWAITEEXECUTIVE DIRECTORCORPORATE RESOURCESNWDA

Courtyard atrium – the award-winning Royal Mills scheme

Iconic landscape – new build schemes rub shoulders with historic mills

Circular tour – an optical view of the past

INFRASTRUCTURE

NEWS

Peel Ports Group has been given the go-ahead to build a new £90 million terminal on the River Mersey that will almost double container capacity at the Port of Liverpool. It will be the first facility capable of accommodating the new generation of larger container ships on the UK West Coast.ReBlackpool has named AMEC as the preferred developer for the £250 million redevelopment of the Talbot Gateway area of the town. The project will provide the resort with a new civic and cultural centre within a large, mixed use, pedestrian-friendly development.Knowsley Council has given planning approval for an innovative £13 million waste recycling and treatment facility on Huyton Business Park that will process 50,000 tonnes of waste from Merseyside homes every year and stop over 80% of it going to landfill. The project involves a number of partners including the NWDA.Planning approval will be sought in the autumn for a new landmark Grade A office building on the site of Kingston House, a 1960s building owned by the NWDA, in Liverpool city centre. Langtree Group plc has been chosen as the preferred developer.English Partnerships and Wigan Council are working up proposals for a mixed use development on a 59 ha opencast mining site at Hindley Green following additional investment of £20 million in the National Coalfields Programme. The scheme is expected to unlock a further 165 ha of derelict land along the A5225 regeneration corridor.Improvement work on Blackpool promenade, the resort’s ‘shop window’, has been given a new impetus following approval of £4 million of NWDA funding for Phase II of the Central Seafront development scheme. The money will be spent on public realm works between the parades and the tramline.

INVESTMENT BOOST FOR COASTAL PARK

The Northwest’s first new urban park for a generation, a state-of-the-art watersports centre, and a landmark ferry terminal for one of the world’s greatest riverscapes are just three of the projects that will form part of the second phase of the ambitious Mersey Waterfront programme.The new package of initiatives has attracted more than £91 million of public and private money, including £10.9 million from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

Mersey Waterfront was launched in 2003 to spearhead the regeneration of the 135km coastline as a new regional park.

Phase one delivered a range of initiatives from major infrastructure improvements such as the Marine Way Bridge in Southport, to the regeneration of Otterspool promenade and better access to the Sefton Coastal Path.

It also encouraged some 500,000 extra people to visit what the programme’s Chair, Sara Wilde, describes as: “the dynamic edge of the Liverpool city region.”

Commenting on plans for phase two, she explains: “Our long-term vision sets out a framework to further develop the Regional Park Zone as a world-class visitor destination and desirable place to live.

“Mersey Waterfront will play an increasingly important role in ensuring consistently high-quality design standards, environments and visitor experiences in the coming years.”

Richard Tracey, Land Regeneration Manager at the NWDA, says that the concept of the Mersey Waterfront as a regional park – one of nine in the Northwest – was vital to its successful regeneration.

“We are in the unique position in the Northwest of having a family of regional parks, which are all a key part of the Regional Economic Strategy … they are an effective way of combining social, economic and environmental initiatives in one place.

“From our perspective, the principle driver is to generate economic activity, sensitively using the natural environment to do this. And in Merseyside’s case, that means water.”

CRUCIAL INVESTMENTThe NWDA has been instrumental in the waterfront’s regeneration from the outset, contributing £8.8 million to phase one, a figure described by Wilde as ‘crucial initial investment’ without which the programme would never have got off the ground.

Key projects in the second phase, all of which are being developed in partnership with a range of public and private sector organisations, include:

Liverpool Riverlands, which will transform the site of the 1984 International Garden Festival into a new urban park

Sefton Water Centre – a new £7 million facility at Crosby Marina, mixing outdoor leisure activities, such as windsurfing and canoeing, with conference and teaching facilities, walking trails and a restaurant

Brand New Brighton – a multi-million pound scheme which will bring a range of leisure, residential and recreational facilities to the New Brighton seafront

A new £10 million terminal for Mersey Ferries on the Pier Head with construction scheduled to start this summer.

A series of lighting displays is planned to showcase Liverpool’s world famous waterfront. The first River of Light show will coincide with the launch of Liverpool’s new £19 million cruise liner facility, itself a legacy of the programme’s first phase.

There will also be a continuation of the £8.5 million Pride in our Promenades initiative with new investment focused on the 3.5km stretch between Seacombe and New Brighton, as well as East Wirral promenade.

Fourteen key locations – dubbed ‘Windows on the Waterfront’ – have also been identified as focal points for long-term future development, while a more defined border to the Regional Park Zone, improved public transport links and a new Mersey Way running along the entire coast have also been prioritised.

“Having set the framework for the park, it enables us to make sense of big private sector investment rather than seeing them as isolated activities,” adds Tracey. “This gives everybody more certainty and helps ensure that investment in individual places adds up to create a city-region wide impact.”

GREAT SUCCESSThis is particularly true of developments such as the multi-billion pound mixed use schemes planned by Peel Holdings for Wirral and Liverpool Waterfronts. Tracey believes such projects have huge potential to contribute to the success of the wider park. “They will be built in the context of a waterfront regional park rather than just as part of a dock or a city,” he says.

Perhaps the greatest success of the Mersey Waterfront programme to date has been Antony Gormley’s Another Place, 100 iconic 'iron men' which have now been bought by Sefton Council, with a contribution of over £500,000 from Mersey Waterfront.

As Wilde adds: “Here is something that has captured peoples’ imaginations, encouraged them to rediscover the Crosby coastline, and offered a creative approach to regeneration, with measurable benefits from improved business performance to increased house prices.”

For further information: email: [email protected]

REBIRTH OF THE FESTIVAL SITEDescribed by Louise Goodman, Director of the Mersey Waterfront as, “a symbol of old Merseyside being replaced by new Merseyside,” Riverlands will be Liverpool’s first new urban park for decades.

To be developed on the site of the 1984 International Garden Festival, the project is a joint collaboration with private sector developers Langtree McLean, who recently revealed a £250 million plan to build 1,300 new homes on part of the 56 acre site.

Mersey Waterfront’s funding is earmarked for those elements of the park which connect the restored Oriental Gardens with the waterfront, including woodland sculpture trails and a biodiversity zone.

Central to the design will be the Grand Axis, a new link from the residential development through the heart of the park, ending in an elevated viewing platform with superb views over the River Mersey and Welsh Hills.

“MERSEY WATERFRONT WILL PLAY AN INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT ROLE IN ENSURING CONSISTENTLY HIGH-QUALITY DESIGN STANDARDS, ENVIRONMENTS AND VISITOR EXPERIENCES”

SARA WILDECHAIR MERSEY WATERFRONT

Dockland regeneration – visualisation of Peel Holdings’ projected Wirral Waters development

Beach sentinel – one of Antony Gormley’s 100 iron men

INFRASTRUCTURE

INVESTING IN NEW LANDSCAPES

A former gravel quarry alongside the M6 at Preston is to be transformed into a flagship nature reserve, widening opportunity for recreational, economic, and educational advancement for some of the region’s most deprived communities.Conservationists hope that the Brockholes Wetlands site, when fully developed, will also become an inspirational visitor wildlife experience enhancing the region’s appeal to inward investors and sending out a strong message about the Northwest’s environmental credentials.

Ambitious plans by the project’s three partners, the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), the Forestry Commission and the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside (LWT) include new habitats, an iconic, multi-purpose visitor centre, and a retail showcase for regional food.

The 106-hectare site next to Junction 31 of the M6 sits alongside 66 hectares of ancient woodland, which will be improved as part of the overall scheme. It will be opened to the public later this year when a number of safety features have been completed.

BIG OPPORTUNITY

LWT acquired Brockholes from its previous owner, Hanson Aggregates, with £800,000 of funding from the NWDA as part of the Agency’s Newlands programme, which aims to transform hundreds of hectares of previously developed and under used land into 21st landscapes based on the concept of community woodlands.

Richard Tracey, the Agency’s Land Regeneration Manager, believes the partners have seized “a very big opportunity” for the region. “We have moved at phenomenal speed to complete the land deal – the job now is to design, build and manage the final product.”

Architects are being asked to take part in a RIBA-sponsored national design competition for the visitor centre, which will be constructed where possible from sustainable materials and incorporate the latest energy saving technology. The design is expected to be finalised in early 2008 and construction completed in 2009.

A business study is also underway to formulate ideas on how to generate revenue to cover the long-term costs of managing the wildlife haven. “Meeting the sustainability challenge is as important as securing the right design,” adds Tracey.

The Newlands model normally sees the Forestry Commission take a 99-year lease on the land with the NWDA funding the capital costs of establishment over five years and a 15-year management regime. Brockholes will test whether this model can be stretched to enable the site to be managed from income.

One possible option is to invite commercial operators to run some of the visitor facilities. With direct access to the M6, Brockholes is uniquely placed to become a recreational stopover with offerings that could include a retail showcase for Lancashire food producers, a bio-fuel station and carefully-managed activities such as boating and fishing.

The scheme will integrate a number of the region’s key agendas – regeneration, tourism, the natural economy, sustainability, health, education and climate change – in a single package.

Its backers are particularly excited by the opportunities that Brockholes presents for social and economic inclusion. Located in the heart of the Central Lancashire City Region it is offers new hope to disadvantaged communities living on the eastern fringes of Preston where there is little tradition of ‘green’ recreation.

ECONOMIC CATALYST

Keith Jones, Regional Director of the Forestry Commission, the key partner in the Newlands programme, sees parallels with Cornwall’s Eden Project, a highly successful tourism attraction, which has been used as a catalyst for economic and social regeneration.

“You couldn’t get a better location for a nature reserve. It’s close to some of the most deprived wards of England and one of the centre’s key functions will be to provide people in those areas with a training, skills, employment and educational resource.”

A mosaic of lakes, reed beds, flower-rich grassland and woodland, Brockholes boasts a wide diversity of wildlife including water voles, Great Crested Newts, bats, dragonflies and damselflies. The Ribble Way also runs through the site.

Bird watchers and conservationists have recorded 163 different varieties of birds including vulnerable species like the Whimbrel, Skylark and Reed Bunting and believe the reserve could become one of the Northwest’s major wetland sites on a par with Leighton Moss and Martin Mere.

It is encircled by the River Ribble and bordered by the largest ancient woodland in Lancashire – also owned by the LWT – where badgers, roe deer and bluebells thrive. Conservationists hope to encourage otters to re-establish themselves in the area.

Brockholes is the biggest land purchase by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust who will manage the site. “The Trust first contested the quarrying of this site some 15 years ago and it’s fantastic that we now get to develop the site to its full potential,” says Anne Selby, LWT’s Chief Executive. The Trust manages 35 nature reserves and last year welcomed 7,000 children to its education centres to learn about nature.

The first phase will include restoration of the wetlands, creation of ponds, seeding of meadows, planting new hedgerows and trees, making access paths, building proper bird watching hides and developing clear signage.

Brockholes is expected to drive investment in the area and deliver long-term benefits for the people and wildlife of Lancashire. One of its key aims is to inspire young people to care for their environment.

Two managers have been appointed to run the site and the LWT is planning a grand opening in June. Mick Weston, the Trust’s Head of Operations, says one of

the challenges the Trust face is “managing public access without damaging wildlife.”

For further information: Peter Mallon email: [email protected] tel: 01772 324129 www.lancswt.org.uk

MORE COMMUNITY WOODLANDS

Brockholes will be used to spearhead a new phase of the acclaimed Newlands community woodlands programme. A further 20 possible sites have been identified and the five sub-regional partnerships will be urged to involve themselves in the selection process.

Launched by the Agency and the Forestry Commission in July 2003, the first phase of the programme focused efforts on reclaiming 435 hectares of brownfield land in the Mersey Belt for tree planting and recreational green space.

Two sites, Moston Vale and Bidston Moss, have been fully restored and another four, the Lower Irwell Valley (LIVIA), Brickfields (St. Helens), Town Lane (Sefton) and Belfield (Rochdale) are in varying stages of design and development.

The NWDA is investing £23 million in Newlands One and the Forestry Commission has generated a further £3.6 million. When the initiative was first launched the Northwest had 25% of all derelict land in England, more than any other region. This has since been reduced to 23%.

“Newlands One was a Mersey Belt experiment to establish a successful model for restoring and greening worn-out landscape,” explains Richard Tracey, the NWDA’s Land Regeneration Manager, “ Newlands Two will be designed to roll the programme out to the rest of the region.”

“THE TRUST FIRST CONTESTED THE QUARRYING OF THIS SITE 15 YEARS AGO AND IT’S FANTASTIC THAT WE NOW GET TO DEVELOP THE SITE TO ITS FULL POTENTIAL”

ANNE SELBYLANCASHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST

Friendly face – otters are slowly re-colonising the Ribble

Watching brief – Brockholes is a bird lovers’ paradise

QUALITY OF LIFE

NEWS

Renowned sculptor Richard Wilson has unveiled his most radical intervention into architecture to date, turning a building in Liverpool’s city centre literally inside out. Turning the Place Over has been co-funded by the NWDA and The Northern Way.Top squash players will converge on Manchester this year to compete in the Dunlop British Open, the ‘Wimbledon of Squash’. The tournament will take at the National Squash Centre at Sportcity from September 18-24 with support from the NWDA.More regional food will be on the menu when Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board and Liverpool Culture Company join forces to promote Taste Lancashire 08, a year long celebration of local food and eateries in support of Liverpool year’s as the European Capital of Culture.Aintree Racecourse reached a milestone in the £35 million upgrading of facilities at the Grand National racecourse when building contractors handed over two new five-tiered grandstands, equestrian centre and pavilion. The NWDA is among several organisations that have provided funding support. The facilities were recently named the Northwest’s favourite modern building at the Insider Property Awards.Steam train enthusiast Pete Waterman has opened a new £500,000 visitor centre and ticket office for the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway at Dalegarth, Cumbria. It was built with funding support from the NWDA through Cumbria Vision.Investment in quality modernisation programmes, websites and culinary experiences has helped Lake District tourism businesses turn in a strong trading performance in 2006. New figures show 62% of businesses reported visitor numbers up or level in the final quarter.

STAR-STUDDED LIFT-OFF FOR CULTURE CAMPAIGN

Iconic, home-grown figures from the entertainment world have been enlisted to provide an artistic lift-off for the Northwest’s first national campaign to promote its cultural excellence.Actors like David Morrissey (Blackpool and Basic Instinct 2), and comedian Johnny Vegas feature in a short star-studded, filmic odyssey around the region’s cultural landmarks.

It will be shown to art house cinema audiences in London and the South East in June, three weeks before the opening of the £6 million Manchester International Festival, the world’s first international festival of original, new work.

Filmed on location in Manchester, Liverpool and the Lake District, the two-minute film was directed by Daryl Goodrich, the man behind the inspirational films used by Lord Coe’s London 2012 team in their final bid presentation to the International Olympic Committee,“Sport at Heart.”

It is targeted at the increasing number of potential visitors to the region for whom cultural festivals and attractions play an important part in influencing their choice of holiday or short break.

In the film actress Maxine Peake, (Shameless, Confessions of a Diary Secretary), on a walking tour of Manchester’s Northern Quarter, provides an eloquent summation of the region’s cultural vitality.

“This spirit of creativity is what defines the Northwest. It flows in the blood. You can taste it in the water. It’s inventive, eccentric, it craves freedom of expression and doesn’t give a damn what you think.”

The rich cast also includes novelist and broadcaster Howard Jacobsen, comedian Craig Cash, and from music Dave McCabe (lead singer for the Zutons), Damon Gough (Badly Drawn Boy) and Ian Broudie (The Lightning Seeds). Art is represented by the Merseyside-based Singh Twins.

Popular entertainer Johnny Vegas broke off from filming in Liverpool’s Chinatown for a serious reflection on the film’s message. “The film reminds people what we have to offer in the Northwest. We should allow ourselves to be slightly big-headed and make a noise about the talent we have here.”

Vegas will be performing at the Manchester International Festival, combining his comedic talents with straight acting in Interiors, a Fringe-like show that takes place in a local house. “It will only be able to accommodate of audience of 20 so it should be less daunting,” he says.

The film was launched at Manchester Square, London, on June 5, as the first phase of a substantial two-year marketing campaign by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) to promote the region’s cultural offering.

It will receive a second burst of viewing in September to promote the Turner Prize coming to Liverpool. Landmarks featured in the film include The Lowry, Bridgewater Hall, the Albert Dock, the Walker Art Gallery and Lake District panoramas.

Producer Simon Wells and director Daryl Goodrich used a seamless walking tour narrative and rich mix of actors and entertainers, all from Northwest backgrounds, to capture the essence of the region’s cultural dynamism.

“We have to get a message across as visually as we can that the Northwest has a lot to offer the cultural tourist, “says Goodrich. “We hope the film will entice people to come and find out for themselves.”

HIGH VISIBILITYViewers will be encouraged to visit the new website (see below) exploring the region’s cultural offer, order a new cultural guide to the region and make their own itinerary from the many activities taking place.

This will promote the Northwest’s lesser known venues, exhibitions, and performances. The film is one of the first to be made available on HD streaming on the web.

Peter Mearns, the NWDA’s Director of Marketing and Communications says the new campaign will ensure high visibility for the Manchester International Festival, the Turner Prize and the Liverpool Capital of Culture celebrations.

“We want to become synonymous with cultural excellence and we believe that using cultural icons from the region in a quality film brings the cultural offer to life and builds its credibility in a competitive marketplace. One interesting point from developing this campaign is how keen our cultural icons are to support the Northwest.”

Cultural aficionados can expect something to satisfy every artistic taste over the next 18 months. The Manchester International Festival (June 26-July 15) for example, will stage 25 mainly world and some UK premieres across a wide cultural spectrum including Unknown Pleasures, a Manchester Academy celebration of the up-and-coming stars on the music scene.

Lovers of contemporary art will be able to feast on the 2007 Turner Prize Exhibition at Tate Liverpool, the first time the competition has been held outside London since it began in 1984.

It will feature the work of the four British artists shortlisted for the £25,000 first prize and will run from October 19 to January 13, 2008. The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony on December 3.

Supported by the Arts Council England, the Liverpool Culture Company and the NWDA, the event is seen as a curtain-raiser for the Liverpool Capital of Culture celebrations.

Completing the cultural trilogy is Art Treasures in Manchester (Oct 6 – Jan 27, 2008), a mixture of art and social history at Manchester Art Gallery to mark the 150th anniversary of the famous Art Treasures of the UK exhibition, the largest showcase of art ever seen in Britain.

For further information: www.visitenglandsnorthwest.com

REGION EXCELS AT TOURISM OSCARSFour Northwest tourism businesses won gold awards at the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence 2007, more than any other region.

Stanley House, Mellor, Lancashire, a Grade II listed hotel, was named Small Hotel of the Year, the third year running England’s Northwest has won the category. It was praised for its use of local produce and commitment to sustainability within the local community.

The Chester Grosvenor Hotel and Spa won an ‘Oscar’ as the Large Hotel of the Year with the judges highlighting its “amazing attention to personal service to each and every customer.”

This year’s Bed and Breakfast champion is Number One Blackpool, a stylish and chic property on the resort’s South Shore, while Skelwith Fold Caravan Park in Ambleside, Cumbria, triumphed as Holiday Park of the Year.

Fan club – Musicians Ian Broudie (right) and Dave McCabe flip through classic albums at Probe Records watched by an admiring Johnny Vegas.

Inspirational landscape - writer Howard Jacobsen and film crew on location in the Lake District

Oscar winner – The Chester Grosvenor Hotel and Spa

QUALITY OF LIFE

FESTIVAL OF GARDENING EXCELLENCE

Cheshire’s Year of Gardens 2008, a £2 million project aimed at unlocking one of the county’s most important resources, will be launched to the public next month (July).The year-long celebration, designed to attract some of the two million visitors expected during the 12 months of Liverpool’s European Capital of Culture, will be launched at the Royal Horticultural Society show at Tatton Park.

Along with a programme of music, art, theatre and food and drink events, the Year of Gardens – many of which have international importance – is being organised by the tourism development organisation, Visit Chester & Cheshire.

Felicity Goodey, who chairs the event’s steering group, says: “Cheshire has more gardens open to the public, per head of population, than anywhere else in the country.

“By promoting, developing and sharing this rich cultural heritage, Cheshire can attract more visitors from outside the county. In turn this can create real economic benefits for the people of Cheshire and the Northwest as a whole.”

LASTING BENEFITSFollowing the announcement of the Year of Gardens at the British Travel Trade Fair in March, the event is being developed across three main themes – promoting the airports, rail and road links to the county, a 2008 activity and events programme, and community engagement.

Gardens Development Executive Louise Garforth has been appointed to organise the events programme aimed at expanding the region’s cultural and visitor economy and promoting its image. The Year will also involve community participation and leave lasting benefits.

“Gardens are our biggest untapped resource,” says Louise. “Despite our superb garden heritage, the majority of our visitors currently come from within our own area and the surrounding counties.”

Peter Mearns, Director of Marketing and Communications at the Northwest Regional Development Agency, one of the partner organisations, also expects the Year of Gardens to spread the benefits of Liverpool08.

“It’s critical that we seize the opportunities that it offers and help to ensure the whole of the region benefits from the Capital of Culture legacy beyond 2008.”

The spotlight will fall on the county’s ‘top ten’ garden attractions, which include Ness Botanic Gardens, part of the University of Liverpool. It was created in 1898 by Liverpool cotton merchant Arthur Kilpin Bulley, who wanted to share his passionate interest in plants.

With a fine collection of trees, including Sorbus (mountain ash), which has recently received a National Plant Collection classification, Ness opened a new £2 million visitor centre in 2006.

Director Kevin Reid, formerly Property Manager at Lyme Park, says: “Arthur Bulley brought plants in through the port of Liverpool, which was a gateway to the world. Next year it will attract visitors to the Capital of Culture and we want to show them that Ness displays a world of gardens on the doorstep.”

For further information: Cheshire’s Year of Gardens 2008: www.yearofgardens08.comRHS Flower Show 2007 at Tatton Park, July 18-22; www.rhs.org.uk/flowershows tel: 0870 842 2229

CHESHIRE’S TOP TEN GARDENSArley Hall, Near Great Budworth, Northwich.

Capesthorne Hall, Siddington, Macclesfield.

Cholmondeley Castle Gardens, Malpas.

Chester Zoological Gardens, Upton-by-Chester.

Gawsworth Hall, Macclesfield.

Jodrell Bank Arboretum, Near Macclesfield.

Lyme Park, Disley, Stockport.

Ness Botanic Gardens, Ness, Neston.

Norton Priory Museum & Gardens, Runcorn.

Tatton Park, Knutsford.

Oriental tranquility – Tatton Park’s Japanese garden in autumn

REGION BIDS FOR OLYMPICS LEGACYThe Northwest has fired the starting pistol on its own preparations for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by unveiling proposals on how to use the Games to achieve lasting economic, sporting, and social benefits for the region.‘Be Inspired’, the Northwest Legacy Framework for the 2012 Games, sets out how the region will use the inspiration of the 30th Olympiad to increase sports participation, improve recognition of volunteers, drive up standards in the tourism industry, build on the region’s vibrant cultural life, and increase business competitiveness.

Launched at the City of Manchester Stadium by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) in the presence of Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralymic Games (LOCOG), the strategy aims to establish the Northwest as the ‘premier’ legacy region. It identifies 50 goals across six core legacy themes.

“The main message,” explains Rob Young, the Northwest Coordinator for 2012, “is yes; there are opportunities, but not guarantees. We want to encourage people to be more proactive so they can benefit from these Games. They should be seen as the catalyst to help organisations deliver their existing strategic priorities.”

Produced by the Northwest 2012 Steering Group chaired by Andy Worthington, the Framework has been formulated following wide consultation on what the region should be doing to capitalise on the Games.

The launch kickstarts a whole series of activities within the region including another visit from the 2012 Roadshow, which will set up shop at the European Hockey Championships, at Belle Vue, Manchester, in August.

Detailed action plans will be published shortly covering each of the core themes – Sport & Physical Activity, Business, Tourism and Visitor Economy, Major Events, Cultural Olympiad and Skills & Volunteering. Lead organisations have been identified foreach theme.

SPORTING FACILITIESBusiness is a key area of activity with companies already seeking to engage with the goods and services procurement process.

Environmental technologies, food manufacturing, creative and digital industries, business and professional services and sport - areas where the region is strong - are singled out as sectors aligning to the requirements of the 2012 supply chain.

Anne Thompson, Sector Leader for Sport at the NWDA, which has lead responsibility on three of the core themes, Business,Tourism and Major Events, says the region is beginning to be more proactive on 2012 business opportunities.

“Most of the contracts for small supply chain companies are not going to be let until 2009 but we are not waiting until then. We are putting in place support mechanisms to optimise those opportunities when they arise.”

Efforts are also underway to promote the region’s world-class sporting facilities as training venues for the 203 national Olympic Committees and 161 National Paralympic Committees expected to participate in the 2012 Games.

The response in the region has been very positive with over 120 facilities submitting an expression of interest to be included in the Pre-Games Training Directory, which will be distributed at the 2008 Beijing Games.

The region is enhancing its sporting credentials by staging a number of world-class sporting events in Manchester including this year’s European Hockey Championships, the 2007 World Taekwondo Tournament at the MEN Arena (Sept 28-30) and the World Short Course Swimming Championships in 2008.

Another opportunity for the region is the Cultural Olympiad, a four-year cultural and educational programme that begins at the end of the Beijing Olympics.

It will have three main elements – the opening and closing ceremonies, signature events and a UK-wide cultural festival where the Northwest can capitalise on its experience of staging the 2002 Commonwealth Games and Liverpool 08.

For further information: tel: Rob Young 01925 400100email [email protected]

Star performers – a galaxy of Northwest sporting talent

NOTEBOOK

PEOPLEIN THE REGION

EDDIE SMITH IS GIVEN NEW ROLEEddie Smith, formerly Head of Regeneration for Manchester City Council, has been appointed as Deputy Chief Executive for New East Manchester, which is transforming the city’s former industrial heartland. During his six years with the council he led teams working on a range of projects including setting up the Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder programme and the redevelopment of Manchester City FC’s former Maine Road ground.

A member of the Town Planning Institute, he previously worked for Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, from where he was seconded to develop the European Objective 2 programme for the Northwest.

FILM AND MEDIA LEADERS JOIN FORCES The region’s two leading media organisations, North West Vision and Media Training North West, are merging to form a new company with the aim of capitalising on emerging growth opportunities in the media industry.Alice Morrison has been appointed Chief Executive of the North West Vision and Media organisation and Lynne McFadden takes on the role of Managing Director. They are the current heads of the respective organisations.

Alice has extensive expertise in the development of the region’s media sector and Lynne has many years experience within the skills, training and communications industry.

Industry leaders believe that a single, sharply focused organisation will be more effective in maximising opportunities generated by the mediacity:uk project and the move of five BBC departments to Salford Quays.

Visionary leader – Alice Morrison

New challenge – Lynne McFadden

HUNTER GIVEN A WIDER RURAL REMITThe rural economy has a new regional champion in David Hunter who steps up from being Rural Policy Officer at the NWDA to become Head of Rural Affairs.

He joined the Agency in 2001 as Senior Rural Policy Officer and was closely involved in developing and managing a range of regional projects to aid rural recovery following the foot and mouth outbreak.

One of his early responsibilities will be to ensure that the Rural Development Programme for England brings real benefits to the Northwest. Another priority will be to implement the successful regional delivery of the Rural Delivery Framework, Defra’s rural policy.

He has 20 years of experience in environmental management and rural affairs having worked on community and environmental initiatives with a Scottish unitary authority and managing conservation and access initiatives at Central Scotland Countryside Trust.

TOP JOB FOR REGION’S SKILLS EXPERTDr Lis Smith is the new Director of Skills Policy for the NWDA. Her remit will be to work within the framework of the Regional Economic Strategy to improve skills, employability and productivity within the region.She joined the Agency in 2004 as National Skills Policy Analyst becoming National Skills Policy Manager in 2005. Her appointment follows the retirement of the previous Director of Skills Policy, Fran Hulbert at the end of 2006.

A chemistry graduate who has previously held key posts at the University of Salford, Dr Smith will drive forward the Agency’s work as the lead RDA for employment, skills and higher education and will be a national ambassador for skills and employment.

MCKAY TO STAY AS NWAA CHAIRMAN Blackburn-born Neil McKay, a former BAE Systems executive, has agreed to continue as Chairman of the Northwest Aerospace Alliance after serving in an interim capacity since December following the retirement of Dennis Mendoros. A graduate in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Salford he worked on many of the company’s programmes during his 36 years with BAE Systems and led the development of the carbon fibre composites facility at Samlesbury, Lancashire, which produced the firstCFC wing.

Your chance to make a difference

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOARD MEMBER APPOINTMENTS

2 days per month – £8,371 per annum

Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) do so much more than drive economic growth throughout England. They help businesses compete, create opportunities for employment, facilitate innovation and promote sustainable development. And as well as improving regional infrastructure, they revitalise both urban and rural areas.

The context for the Northwest Regional Development Agency’s work is the Regional Economic Strategy (RES). Widely accepted as the economic blueprint for the Northwest, it clearly identifies key challenges for the next decade.

The NWDA Board is business-led and members have a real understanding of the region as well as a passion to represent the interests of a wide range of key stakeholders – including business, education, local government, the voluntary sector and trade unions.

The Board draws on members from diverse backgrounds but with specific and substantial experience in several key areas. To replace those members retiring this year, the Board has three vacancies for members with a business background (including one with rural experience) and two vacancies for local councillors.

The positions require a commitment for an initial period of approximately three years.

For further information and to apply please visit www.rdaappointments.co.uk.If you are unable to access the website please call 08700 435060 for an application pack.

Applications must be returned by 29 June.

Applications are particularly welcome from women, minority ethnic and disabled candidates who areunder-represented at this level in public life.

EVENTS

EVENT HIGHLIGHTSFor further information www.nwda.co.uk/events

JUNE

28JUN-15JULMANCHESTERINTERNATIONAL FESTIVALThe only one of its kind in the world

Various venues

18-24JUNPARIS AIR SHOWNORTHWEST COMPANIES CHASE EXPORTS LE BOURGET

28JUNFOOD NORTHWEST AWARDSShowcase of regional food heroesMidland Hotel, Manchester

JULY

10JULNORTH WEST REGIONAL ASSEMBLY ANNUAL CONFERENCEKeynote speaker – Industry Minister Margaret HodgeTheatre by the Lake, Keswick

18-22

JULRHS FLOWER SHOWThe North’s ‘Chelsea’Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire

19JULLIVERPOOL BUSINESS OSCARSORGANISED BY DOWNTOWN LIVERPOOLSEFTON PARK PALM HOUSE, LIVERPOOL

AUGUST

18-26AUGEUROPEAN HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPSDirect qualification route to 2008 Beijing OlympicsBelle Vue, Manchester

23AUGOPENING OF THE INTERNATIONAL SLAVERY MUSEUMExploring the slave trade legacy Albert Dock, Liverpool

SEPTEMBER

14SEPTTOUR OF BRITAIN CYCLE RACETop cyclists battle it out across the region Liverpool to Kendal

18-24SEPTDUNLOP BRITISH OPEN

Championship squash eventSportcity, Manchester

20SEPTIOD DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2007Hosted by Sir Trevor McDonald City of Manchester Stadium

OCTOBER

6OCT-27JANART TREASURESThe famous 1857 exhibition revisitedManchester Art Gallery

10OCTENGLAND’S NORTHWEST TOURISM AWARDSToasting the best and brightest tourism businessesManchester Central

17OCTART07 AWARDSSpotlight on the region’s best creative talentsManchester Town Hall

18OCTNWDA ANNUAL CONFERENCECelebrating another year of economic achievementManchester Central

19OCT-13JANTHE TURNER PRIZE

Curtain raiser for Capital of Culture

Tate Liverpool

Designer gardens – a major attraction at the RHS Flower Show

Pedal power – the Tour of Britain Cycle Race

Centre stage – the Northwest Tourism Awards

PAGE 31

GETTING IN TOUCHAt the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA),we value your views and feedback.

Visit www.nwda.co.uk & www.visitenglandsnorthwest.com

KEY CONTACTSThe NWDA’s Executive Team are based at its Headquarters in Warrington.

STEVEN BROOMHEADChief ExecutiveTel: 01925 400 133Email: [email protected]

BERNICE LAWChief Operating Officer,Deputy Chief ExecutiveTel: 01925 400 548

Email: [email protected]

IAN HAYTHORNTHWAITEExecutive Director,Corporate ResourcesTel: 01925 400 116


MARK HUGHESExecutive Director,Enterprise, Innovation and SkillsTel: 01925 400 531


PETER WHITEExecutive Director, Infrastructure and DevelopmentTel: 01925 400 299


JAMES BERRESFORDDirector of Tourism Tel: 01925 400 472


PETER MEARNSDirector of Marketing and CommunicationsTel: 01925 400 212Email: [email protected]

FIONA MILLSDirector of HR, Organisational Change & DevelopmentTel: 01925 644 422


PATRICK WHITEDirector of Policy Tel: 01925 400 274


HEAD OFFICEThe NWDA manages all operations from its Headquarters at:

HEAD OFFICE PO Box 37, Renaissance House,Centre Park, Warrington WA1 1XBTel: +44 (0)1925 400 100Fax: +44 (0)1925 400 400e-mail: [email protected]

PRINT STOCK:Cover: Challenger Laser Matt is totally chlorine free and acquired only from suppliers operating sustainable forest reserves.

Text: Cyclus offset is manufactured using only 100% recycled post consumer waste.

Designed and produced by Kaleidoscope ADM, Liverpool. www.kadm.co.uk NWDA KADM 07/07 20384

Document

Documents

Transcript of Document