Haven Gateway

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What

The Haven Gateway sub-region

One of the fastest growing areas in the UK – more than 20,000 homes completed in 2001-2007
Identified in the East of England Plan as an area with: “the potential to develop further as a major focus for economic development and growth”
Declared a New Growth Point in 2006 by Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG)
Named as one of the seven “Engines of Growth” in the draft East of England Regional Economic Strategy (RES) 2007
Set a target by the East of England Plan (EEP) of providing 65,100 new homes and creating 49,700 new jobs in the 20-year period from 2001 to 2021 (whole districts)

The Haven Gateway sub-region is based around one of the UK’s most important port clusters, including:

Felixstowe, the largest container port in the country
Harwich, a major East Coast ferry and cruise port
Ipswich, a substantial regional port and the UK’s largest grain exporting point

As such, the growth and infrastructure of the Haven Gateway are of regional, national and international importance, and critical to the UK’s economy.

The Haven Gateway Partnership was created in 2001, to provide a framework through which its partners – from both the public and private sectors – could work together to promote economic opportunities and secure the future prosperity of this international gateway to the UK.

Growth Point status in 2006 and the Partnership’s appointment of a Chief Executive in September 2007 signalled a step-change in the Partnership’s ambitions to deliver its vision, with a strong focus on sustainable growth and a broader remit – no longer centred solely on port expansion.

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Why

Rationale for growth in the Haven Gateway

The vision for the Haven Gateway is established in the East of England Plan (EEP), which was approved by the Secretary of State in May 2008.

This recognises that the Gateway is one of four areas in the Eastern region “whose coherence and the particular nature of the issues and responses justifies sub-area treatment” and includes the “key centres for development and change” of Colchester and Ipswich.

The EEP recognises that: “The sub-region has substantial potential to develop further as a major focus for economic development and growth, which is recognised in its identification by the Government as a New Growth Point”.

The East of England Plan sets out the broad strategy for the sub-region:

Develop the diverse economy of the sub-region, including provision for the needs of an expanding tourism sector in both urban and rural areas, support for the establishment and expansion of ICT clusters and recognition of the potential and need for employment growth in the smaller towns
Support existing and proposed academic, scientific and research institutions
Regenerate the sub-region to address unemployment, deprivation and social issues
Provide for major housing growth at the key centres of development and change of Colchester and Ipswich, with the aim of securing – throughout the sub-region – the earliest possible move to the rates of delivery required to achieve the provision in policy H1 by 2021
Provide for 20,000 net additional dwellings in the Ipswich Policy Area, including at least 15,400 within Ipswich, and about 4,600 on the fringes of Ipswich in Babergh, Mid Suffolk and Suffolk Coastal - the precise distribution to be determined through a partnership approach involving joint or co-ordinated LDFs (Local Development Frameworks)

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How

Haven Gateway – Adding value

Partnerships must be greater than the sum of their parts. There are already many agencies and local authorities actively working within the sub-region but the Haven Gateway Partnership has the specific challenge of integrating the economic and housing growth to deliver a sustainable and integrated Framework for Growth.

The appointment of a Chief Executive in September 2007 signalled a step-change for the Partnership and its status as it works to deliver its promises.

Three Core Values of the Partnership

Effective partnership working is underpinned by “the way we work” as much as by “what we do”. The 2008-11 plan and delivery of the Framework for Growth is therefore based on three key values:

Delivering through Partnership – particularly bringing private and public together
Evidence-based – compelling arguments, rigorous research
Adding value – strategic, skills-sharing, avoiding duplication

Five Key Measures of Success

In order to determine whether the Partnership is being effective, we are increasingly outcome-focused. We have identified the following five key measures by which to measure our overall performance and ensure alignment with Essex and Suffolk Local Area Agreements (LAA) and the Regional Economic Strategy. (Figures are for all district coverage and the Partnership will also look to develop a measure to assess carbon reduction).

Increase in skills levels
Increase in employment rate
Increase in GVA per capita
Housing completions
Affordable housing completions

Clearly, these are not the only measures by which the Partnership is measured and our overwhelming priority is to secure funding and delivery to improve the infrastructure of the sub-region and therefore maintain the quality of place within the Haven Gateway.

Five Key Sectors for Economic Growth

In order to avoid duplication and respond directly to the key growth sectors, the Partnership, through its Business Forum, has identified the five key sectors on which it will focus in order to secure employment growth of the sub-region, measured through – skills increases, employment rates and GVA per capita. These are:

Ports, Maritime and Logistics
Innovation and ICT
Construction
Tourism and Culture
Marine Leisure

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Who

George Courtauld - President