Inventing our future Collective action for a sustainable economy

What do we need to change?
The spatial response
London Arc sub-region
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Constraints
• the arc is home to a number of individual new towns, which offer a
range of employment land and premises and are home to major, often
foreign-owned businesses. However, these places also demonstrate
common challenges of urban environmental quality, uncompetitive
town centres, traditional and protected townscapes, pockets of
deprivation and poor image
• particularly high levels of resource-use, domestic emissions and
emissions from road transport with a significant transport
infrastructure deficit for East-West travel
• significant existing pressures on infrastructure and future growth
rates that will place additional demands on transport and other
supporting community and cultural infrastructure. This is particularly
critical in terms of orbital transport constraints, as well as on key
corridors such as the A12
• low employment rates and low wage rates in some areas with
particular barriers to employability due to a lack of basic skills and
participation in deprived wards
• shortages of affordable and key worker housing and other community
infrastructure, along with an inadequate supply of private sector
housing in some areas
• with the exception of some key locations such as Chelmsford and
Gunnels Wood in Stevenage, a constrained supply of quality
employment land.
Strategic ambitions
• support improvements in sustainable transport connections between
key centres across the arc and between key centres and the
international airports
• retain and enhance the quality and frequency of train services to
London, maximise the economic benefits to the region from planned
investment in the form of Crossrail and Thameslink and promote a
refreshed case for an East-West orbital public transport system linked
to future development
• support the development of other basic business infrastructure (eg
power and water supply and treatment) to support housing and
economic growth
• support measures to raise employment rates and the profile of
higher-value employment across the arc by overcoming barriers to
employability and raising basic and higher-level skills and participation
in deprived wards
• support further expansion of the higher and further education offer
across the arc, focused upon the key centres, including Harlow, to
strengthen skills at NVQ3 and 4 in sectors to facilitate progression to
higher education that supports the arc’s globally competitive position
• support the sub-regional roles of key centres of development and
change by recognising the reality of sub-regional economies and the
need to support the roles that they play within the region and sub-region
• deliver a high-quality and sustainable urban environment across the
arc, that supports historic assets, brings forward brownfield sites for
development and delivers new town regeneration