Infrastructure Delivery Plan (Feb 2013) - Runnymede Borough Council

Economy
2.16 The local economy, in common with the rest of Surrey, is dominated by the service
sector, which employs some 83% of the workforce, whilst manufacturing accounts for
just 5%. Businesses and institutions in the Borough include: St Peters Hospital & NHS
Trusts, Royal Holloway (University of London), The Veterinary Laboratory Agency,
Thorpe Park, Procter and Gamble, Centrica, BUPA, Gartner UK, Samsung Electronics,
Tesco Stores and Automatic Data Processing.
Retail
2.17 In recent years there has been considerable redevelopment and intensification of
Runnymede’s mainly low rise, lower density housing, together with development and
redevelopment of commercial premises in town centres and business areas. House
building in Runnymede has exceeded Surrey Structure Plan (2004) and South East
Plan (2009) targets with an annual average of 273 additional dwellings being built over
the past seven years. House prices are on average higher than in the rest of the South
East and reflect prices in London. The availability of affordable housing to meet local
needs remains a key issue in the Borough, as identified in the Council’s Strategic
Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) (2008).
2.18 According to the Council’s Retail Study 2009, ‘income growth has also led to increased
car ownership and personal mobility’. Going on to cite that ‘over the last 25 years, the
number of households having access to one or more cars has increased from about
55% to about 75% nationally and the number with two or more cars has nearly trebled
from 11% to 30%’. The Census 2001 figures on car ownership show that the numbers
of households in the Borough with 1 or more cars or vans is 84.8%.
Environment
2.19 Air quality within the Borough is currently within acceptable levels in most areas, but
the Council did designate a third Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) in 2009.
Emissions of greenhouse gases continue to be of concern. The prediction is that the
greatest producer of these gases (road transport) will continue to increase, and that the
lifestyle choices made by residents will demand greater energy consumption.
2.20 Local amenity can be considered in terms of noise, dust and light, and access to
recreation and countryside. Other aspects which could be considered as factors in local
amenity include countryside character, historic buildings and features, traffic volume
and the environment. Background ambient noise levels have yet to be calculated for
the Borough. Surrey County Council’s Local Transport Plan of July 2000 estimated
however that 14% of the population was subjected to excessive road traffic noise. Road
traffic noise was raised as an issue again in Local Transport Plan 2 (LTP2) published
March 2006, and again in LTP3 (April 2011).
2.21 There are both challenges to be faced and opportunities to embrace as the effects of
climate change progressively accelerate. In 2007, the combined CO2 emissions for the
Borough were an estimated 808 kt, of which 49 % was attributed to road transport –
(see Figure 2 below).
Page | 19
Runnymede IDP DRAFT – February 2013