Business needs economic support and planning by government for the infrastructure to underpin growth through roads, rail links, air terminals and runways

The expansion at Gatwick will help the economy of Worthing and Adur to grow and thrive with Jobs for our future.

Our children and grandchildren depend upon investment now for a prosperous posterity. We do not want them to have to move away or commute in order to earn a living.

A second runway at Gatwick will produce thousands of jobs and opportunities for a better future for the businesses in our area.

License to dance granted at Shoreham Airport

Plans for a significant new music event in Shoreham have moved one step closer, following Adur District Council’s granting of a premises license authorising the sale of alcohol, late night refreshment and entertainment to SJM Ltd.

Having considered the case made by the applicant (SJM Ltd) for the license and the public representations made against it, Adur District Council’s Licensing Committee decided to grant the license, following two evenings of public Committee hearings and a closed Member session on Monday evening.  The Committee took pains to ensure that all relevant representations were made and heard during the hearings.

Speaking after the decision, Committee Chairman Councillor David Simmons (Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing at Adur District Council) said:

“This is the most significant licensing application to come before the Council in the nine years that I’ve been a Member. 

“In coming to our decision, the Members sitting on the Committee took time to hear the full range of representations from the community, considering these in conjunction with our powers and remit under the Licensing Act and the conditions and mitigations put forward by the applicant. 

“It must be remembered that this is an application under the Licensing Act 2003 for a premises license to authorise the provision of alcohol, late night refreshment and entertainment as part of a two day event. This was not an application seeking permission to hold events - this is not a matter that falls under this committee’s remit.

“There are 92 conditions accompanying our decision, conditions which are expressly designed to answer concerns raised by the community and protect local residents from as much disruption as possible.

“I am confident that these conditions, together with the goodwill shown by SJM Ltd, will help all parties to deliver a safe, enjoyable event that adds something different to the local events scene.”

The conditions placed upon the license include:

* Attendee numbers have been set at 35,000

* The event will finish at 1am, rather than the initial proposal for 3am

* Sound limits have been set by the Councils’ Environmental Health team and this will be monitored throughout the event

* The Event Management Plan is to be signed off by the Safety Advisory Group (which includes representatives of all of the statutory authorities) and the Director for Communities at the Councils, in consultation with the Chair of the Licensing Committee

* The applicant’s offer of holding public meetings after the event has been accepted to hear feedback from the local community

With this license granted, SJM Ltd are now going to work with the local community to address other concerns not covered by the Licensing Act.  They have committed to holding public meetings for residents to air their views and influence elements of the proposed event.

In addition, the company will be working closely with the Police, the Council and other responsible bodies on the Event Management Plan which includes health/welfare, traffic management and noise disturbance. 

More detail on the progress of the proposed summer music event will be released in due course as it becomes available.

Comments received for the proposed changes of parking

Thank you to those that commented regarding the proposed changes to the parking. Below is the response Worthing and Adur Chamber of Commerce submitted along with the supporting comments.

"Having spoken to Sharon Clarke at Worthing Town Centre Initiative and consulted our  members again today our executive board are unanimous in their support of the issues raised by the TCI and our own Members.

It is extraordinary and unfair that Worthing is being singled out as the sacrificial guinea pig.

There  may be some short term financial gain to the WSCC but the long term loss of wealth is not good for either the local or county council let alone the business people of Worthing.

We would not expect for a party supposedly in favour of free enterprise would even consider such a detrimental tax on trade.

Sunday trading is essentially more popular and this has to be in part due to the free parking and the evening hours of trade are to be encouraged for the night economy to survive and many jobs will be at stake should this come into place.

With a little more time we will be happy to get more responses for you."

I reference to the parking proposals we believe that this would have an adverse effect on not only our business but that of our neighbours

Small businesses are really struggling and will lose more business if  the parking is inconvenient and costs our consumers money, as per the government thinking there should be single yellow lines with 20 mins parking

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I would like to see free parking on street for at least 30/60 minutes, this will allow most transactions to be carried out without cost, most small/medium purchases can be made in that time. This can be done by simply allowing the machines to produce a free ticket for 1 hour then payment after that period should the shopper need more time. This will increase spend in the town.

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East Worthing

It is difficult to anticipate the extra pressure that these changes may put upon the area between the Town Centre and Ham Road.

• ·         If people working in the town centre were parking free in the Ham Road area, they are now likely to want to park closer to town if they are going to have to pay anyway
• ·         As a business in Farncombe Road since 2000 we have never been able to successfully apply for on-road parking permits in Farncombe Road. Neither have we been able to put any names down on a waiting list in case spaces become available. Why not?
• ·         Since the building work started on the new Splashpoint Leisure Centre we have had problems – our parents drop off and collect children mainly between 7.30am – 9am and 12.30 – 1.30 and 4pm – 6pm. (These times are outside the parking restricted times). Firstly, it was because the road was blocked with tradesmen’s vans; I incorrectly assumed that this would improve once the work was complete and the tradesmen gone. Once the pool opened the road was blocked with cars despite there being a car park by Beach Green. The problems are particularly bad after 3pm when we have a continuous stream of cars parking as parents bring their children for swimming lessons; in the meantime, parents trying to collect their children from the nursery cannot find a space close enough to safely manage one or two babies/toddlers and all their bags from the nursery to their car. They cannot walk from home as they could be returning from work out of Worthing or may not live in this area
• ·         There are plans for building work to commence on the old Aquarena site. Where will the tradesmen park their vehicles? NOT in Farncombe Road I hope. Where will the Leisure Centre users park once the spaces at the old Aquarena are lost (about 75)?

Suggestions

• 1.       Leisure Centre users are allowed free parking in the nearby car parks taking their vehicles off the roads
• 2.       Tradesmen are given permits to park in the Teville Gate car park and bussed to site
• 3.       Farncombe Road has a new restriction added to the spaces on the south end, west side, of the road between Brighton Road and Church Walk. Maximum 20 mins parking between the hours of 3pm and 6pm. This will prevent a (possible fatal) accident to a young child as cars juggle for spaces, parents try to cross the road with their young children and ambulances continue to use the road for ‘blue light’ access to the hospital. It can get VERY busy in the is road and feels particularly unsafe on the dark evenings. I have seen cars double parked on the road out of desperation to find a space
• 4.       Whatever plans are passed for the Aquarena site they include 100 + parking spaces, free, and only for Leisure Centre users.

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As you are currently conducting a review of parking services, can I request that thought is made to businesses being able to purchase an annual all zones pass to cover work undertaken in Worthing. 

As a local business with 3 fleet vehicles, we are regularly in and out of Worthing and my engineers sometimes struggle to have enough change or if a job overruns, have to run out to put more money into a meter. I would certainly purchase at least 3 passes on an annual basis. 

We would not be taking up residents spots everyday as the likelihood is that I would not use them on a daily basis so if the fee was fair, the council would be able to have another revenue stream. Brighton & Hove offer this service and I have tried to purchase something similar for Worthing but currently have to use meters or get daily dispensations if the job is for the whole day. 

I hope that this is worth looking at and look forward to being able to purchase my annual pass!

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People from out of area notable visit on a Sunday due to no parking costs. An extension of the hours in Brighton proved to be detrimental to the local hospitality community and would be fatal in our opinion.

We are wanting to encourage families not push them out of town centres in the early evening.

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Rampion ‘Meet the Buyer’ event
For: Onshore Cabling and Onshore Substation Suppliers

Date: 29th January 2015 From 10am – 3pm
Venue: TBC, between Worthing and Shoreham

E.ON will be hosting a 'Meet the Buyer' event on Thursday 29th January 2015 from 10am - 3pm for local suppliers who are interested in supplying products and services specifically to support the construction for the ONSHORE CABLING and ONSHORE SUBSTATION elements of the Rampion Wind Farm project.

There will be two additional events focused on Offshore Balance of Plant and Operations & Maintenance (O&M) later in 2015.

Make sure you are registered on the Sussex Wind Energy website http://www.sussexwindenergy.org.uk/company_database/register/ in order to receive details of the future events. This series of events will be limited to companies based in Sussex, Kent, Surrey and Hampshire.

Delegates attending this first event will hear presentations specific to the construction of the onshore cabling and substation activities, from E.ON’s contract managers and their lead suppliers and installers. Lunch will be provided and there will be opportunities to network during the event.

Draft agenda (subject to change):
10:00 Introduction and purpose – Rampion Development Manager
10:10 Rampion Supply Chain Work Programme - Marine South East
10:30 Rampion Project update – E.ON Project Manager
10:50 Onshore cabling and substation design – E.ON Contract Manager
11:10 *** Coffee Break ***
11:30 Cabling supplier presentation
11:50 Substation supplier presentation
12:10 Q&A
12:45 *** Lunch ***
13:45 Focus Groups (A Onshore substation B Cabling

To register your free place at this event please go to: http://www.marinesoutheast.co.uk/make_booking/?id=3428

For more information please visit http://www.sussexwindenergy.org.uk/

Supporting Evidence for Gatwick Airport Second Runway

Worthing and Adur Chamber has supported the campaign for the second runway at Gatwick Airport. Below is a copy of speech given by Jeremy Taylor as the business representative for our area.

Witness Statement for Airports Commission – 16th Dec 2014

Jeremy Taylor

I am Chief Executive of Gatwick Diamond Business.  We have 350 member businesses who employ around 50,000 staff.  Earlier this year we consulted with our own membership and found that 92% were in favour of the second runway.  

This organisation started 60 years ago on Manor Royal Business Park.  This was the catalyst for the development of probably the first airport economy in the world and the Gatwick Diamond.  The large businesses that moved here in the 1950’s developed a supply chain within and close to Crawley.   As Manor Royal and Gatwick Airport expanded, that supply chain attracted further businesses and now we have a £21bn sub-regional economy (the Gatwick Diamond), centred on the largest business park in the UK.

Within the region, there are a large number of business representation organisations, so I also speak today on behalf of a number of these and can supply a list of those to you (*see below).  Between them they represent in the region of 10,000 businesses and an employee workforce in excess of 200,000.  These organisations’ research shows a similar level of support for the second runway at Gatwick as within our organisation. 

Naturally there are some businesses with questions and concerns and I shall return to those later.

In our view, an Airport brings Economic diversity and this is very well evidenced at Gatwick.  In terms of our membership, only 12% are in the aviation, airport or tourism related industries.  The area boasts many household name companies that choose to be here as a result of the communications (air, rail and road) and skilled people in the region. 

The Gatwick Diamond is home to 45,000 businesses with an employee workforce of 400,000, and has six industry sectors which are particularly strong.  One sector is related to aviation, the others are:
•    Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering,
•    Financial and Professional Services,
•    Life Sciences, Health Technologies and Medical Devices,
•    Environmental Technologies
•    Food and Drink

One major employer in Medical Devices, Elekta, has recently committed to investing tens of millions into a global centre for research, creating hundreds of high-end manufacturing and research jobs.

The other leading company in this field, Varian, is also based in Crawley.  They are both here because Gatwick and the surrounding infrastructure brings them closer to their supply chain and their clients. 


There is no question that the second runway will bring an increase in Employment levels, particularly as Gatwick has a real impact on the local economy; 43% of Gatwick’s operational spend is with local suppliers. 

There is understandably some concern how these jobs will be filled. 
We have already seen the plans to develop public transport and the road infrastructure around Gatwick, which will allow other areas to rightly benefit.  We can see employment opening up for those who live in real disadvantaged areas along the coast and into London.  And while those employees are working here they will in turn spend money in the local area.
Furthermore, the Gatwick Diamond currently has a daily outflow of 110,000 commuters who work elsewhere.  We are sure that a significant proportion of those would rather work locally than have to travel.

I would now like to talk about Competition and demonstrate why growing Gatwick is better, not just for the region, but for the Country.

One of the key benefits to come out of the sale of Gatwick in 2009 has been the increase in competition on routes. 
This can be shown in the price differential achieved between Heathrow and Gatwick on the Moscow Domodedovo Route. 
A search for a 4-day return direct ticket in early February, with luggage and reserved seats showed £138 from Gatwick versus £1,198 from Heathrow.  As a business person looking for new opportunities, the majority of SMEs will choose the former price.
In a similar search for tickets to San Francisco from Heathrow, there was only a £70 differential between competing airlines at the same airport.

I am not here to attack individual airlines, but to demonstrate that should the next runway be built at Heathrow, airlines will congregate and there would be less competition; the price of trading internationally will rise.

Creating capacity at Gatwick will also bring better and more affordable connectivity to the regions.  Air connectivity to London is vital to those further parts of the country where road and rail travel are impractical and more expensive.  Even at the maximum of £15 per passenger, the relative difference in landing charges means that Gatwick will still be affordable for domestic airlines, and far more affordable than Heathrow.


Resilience
In business, it is important to have a capacity to cope, particularly when things go wrong.  By expanding Heathrow, the airport capacity will be concentrated in one place.  By developing Gatwick, there will be enhanced resilience in the London network with two world class airports where competition means lower costs and higher standards for the customers.

Travel costs
Travel costs to the departure point are of great interest to the business community, as they are to the leisure traveller.  I would like to illustrate this by referencing one of our businesses that has a French parent and so travel to and through Paris is a necessary part of their business. Only this year we have seen Paris back on the Gatwick route map.  Previously, this company had spent over £130,000 in travel costs reaching Heathrow.

With more routes coupled to the improvements in public transport access to Gatwick, then the costs of travel to Gatwick are coming down while the convenient ‘travel to airport’ footprint is expanding. 


Affordability
The Gatwick option is the most affordable for the country.  We also speak as taxpayers, and let’s not forget that the business community is an enormous contributor to the Exchequer. 
If there was a simple choice between a scheme that could cost £billions of public money when a privately funded alternative is available, then it does not make sense, especially in these difficult times, to pursue the one that will be funded from taxation. 
Gatwick have assured us on many occasions that it is self-financing and that there will be no cost to the taxpayer.


Future of Aviation
As has been made quite clear in the Commission’s findings, the future of aviation growth is hard to measure.  In 2003, Lo-Cost aviation was seen as a blip yet we now see that EasyJet and Norwegian carry the vast majority of Gatwick passengers, while some Charter airlines are pursuing a lo-cost model of operation. 
Most interestingly for me, is how business travellers have increased their use of Gatwick, an airport that used to be called a ‘bucket and spade’ airport.  But no longer; in only 4 years, we have seen an increase where 20% are business travellers, which in real numbers is now 7.6m. 
The future of the ‘Hub’ model is also under question as aircraft manufacturer order books show a far higher interest in aircraft that will serve two points directly.  The idea of London maintaining itself as a hub is diminishing and, with only 14% of London’s travellers using it as a hub, why should aviation policy be structured around the convenience of those few?


As I stated earlier, there are Questions to be addressed.
Around 250 businesses are likely to lose their premises.  We have been working with the Airport to address this and it is encouraging to see that Gatwick is looking to support any business that has to relocate. 
We do expect the Airport to provide on-campus office and other employment space, but there will be a question over leasing rates, particularly for some of the warehouse and storage businesses that are in the currently safeguarded land. 
We would encourage the Airport to work with Local Authorities and other developers to find alternative and affordable sites for those businesses as they are an important part of the local economy.

There is also a concern on the impact on skills availability.  We can see that there are a number of initiatives that should address this and look forward to greater detail should Gatwick be taken forward. 
As I mentioned earlier, there is a good opportunity to change local people’s commuting habits and so fill a number of these jobs from those who already live here.

In terms of the construction workforce itself, the large new development at Westfield Croydon will just be finishing as Gatwick’s construction work starts.   Those builders, engineers and other construction professionals could then move to the Gatwick site almost immediately.


Our final question is for the Commission itself as we can see that the impact of a second runway means different things to different people subject to their location.  Whilst we fully understand and empathise with the relatively small number of people that will be affected by noise, there is a much, much wider area and population that will benefit economically.  We feel it is important that the economic impact is taken across an area measured by a 90 minute travel zone.

Thank you for the opportunity of speaking


* I have agreement to speak on behalf of
Battle Chamber of Commerce
Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership
Burgess Hill Business Park Association
Chichester Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Crawley and Gatwick Chamber of Commerce
Croydon Business Improvement District Company
Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce
East Grinstead Business Association
Federation of Small Business (Regional)
Gatwick Diamond Business
The Gatwick Diamond Initiative
Hailsham Chamber of Commerce
Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce
Haywards Heath & District Business Association
Lewes Chamber of Commerce
Newhaven Chamber of Commerce
Peacehaven Chamber of Commerce
Seaford Chamber of Commerce
Worthing and Adur Chamber of Commerce

Be The Business
Second round of funding now open ‐ Deadline 22nd January 2015 at 5pm ‐ APPLY NOW

As the full allocation was not committed in round one we are accepting applications for a second round of funding. There is £180,000 available for businesses in West Sussex to bid for.

Be the Business was launched in 2013 as part of West Sussex County Council's commitment to supporting businesses.
A fund of £180,000 is available for businesses in West Sussex.

    The maximum grant that can be requested for any individual project is £25,000
    The maximum grant that can be requested for a consortium bid is £75,000
    Applicants are required to provide at least 50% of the total project costs as match-funding.


This programme is for start-ups, early-stage companies (1-2 years) and for established and growing businesses in West Sussex.

Businesses planning to relocate in West Sussex are also eligible but if successful, the grant will only be paid after relocation has taken place.

For an application form and guidelines for the Be the Business Start and Grow Grants 2014-15 please click here.

Riverside Carpark, Shoreham to fully reopen for business

Now that the construction work on the Adur Ferry Bridge is completed, Riverside carpark is going to fully reopen on 19th January 2015, from which time parking charges will apply.

Parking charges in the Riverside carpark were suspended in the summer of 2012 as a large part of the carpark was needed for the storage of building materials and equipment.  However, now that the Ferry Bridge is complete, all of the parking spaces will be reopened and the parking charges will come back into force.

Councillor Keith Dollemore, Executive Member for the Environment at Adur District Council, says: "The car park was closed to assist the building of the new Adur Ferry Bridge as part of Adur’s contribution to it. When the bridge was finished, it was intended to redevelop the car park and surrounding area. This has not happened, but we do need to bring the car park back into regulated use and available for all, for the benefit of everyone including local businesses. I sincerely hope the redevelopment will progress later in the year."

The pricing structure for the Riverside Carpark remains unchanged and is as follows:

Pay and display Monday to Saturday inclusive, excluding bank holidays:

Up to 30 minutes - 25p

Up to 1 hour - 50p

Up to 2 hours - £1.00

Up to 3 hours - £1.50

Up to 4 hours - £2.00

Up to 8 hours - £3.00

Navigator scheme provides funding and advice to new café

Starting a new business is hard enough, let alone sourcing funding and advice to help it flourish.  One local café has taken advantage of the support offered by the Business Support Navigator scheme: a one-year pilot project supported by the Regional Growth Fund and managed by Coast to Capital and Worthing & Adur Council.  The project signposts local businesses towards grants, funding and guidance. 

Tom Foolery is a new coffee shop and cafe situated on Shoreham’s high street, which opened in May 2014.  The café has a superb view across the River Adur waterfront, and prides itself on its coffee as well as food created from local produce.

Bob and Vanessa, the cafe’s owners, took full advantage of the support offered by the Navigator project.  Working with Business Navigator Tom Kenny, they are developing the business through funding and advice they might not have otherwise accessed.  “Applying for funding can be time-consuming,” says Bob, “but it is well worth it in the long run.  Business owners like us can reap tremendous rewards.”

So if you are thinking of starting a business, or you already have one and need advice, support or funding, get in touch with a Business Navigator. 

Worthing & Adur Business Navigator Tom Kenny can be contacted at tom.kenny@c2cbusiness.org.uk or on 01403 333840.

Worthing Business of the Year 2014, Electronic Temperature Instruments Ltd, is just one of the local firms benefiting from funding accessed via the Business Support Navigator Project.  ETI manufactures and supplies digital thermometers and temperature sensors to a wide variety of industries, including the catering sector, in the UK and beyond.

ETI was keen to refurbish its Worthing factory with energy efficient LED lighting, to save money and reduce carbon emissions.  Worthing Business Support Navigator Tom Kenny helped the company navigate the grant system, identifying eligibility for a £5,000 Low Carbon Workspaces grant.  The process was speedy – the initial online application was approved the following day.

The company had to provide energy Performance Certificates for the building and a quote for the cost of the light fittings and labour.  ETI was given three months to complete the project, but has since been given an extension to the end of February 2015 given the extent of the upgrade.

Erika Marsh, ETI’s Company Accountant says, ‘Our next initiative is to get a grant towards IT equipment from Sustainable Routes to enable our less local employees to work from home, saving on commuting cost, time and carbon emissions.  We’ve found the Business Support Navigator scheme invaluable to access opportunities about which we’d otherwise be unaware.’

Tom Kenny, Worthing & Adur Business Support Navigator, can be contacted at tom.kenny@c2cbusiness.org.uk