1
2
1
Loves Farm phase 2
2
Wintringham Park
industrial and commercial
The St Neots Masterplan for Growth identifies the key sectors that can play a major role in the future prosperity of the town, but only if the right interventions are made to support these sectors to grow. While Phase one is largely focused on the regeneration of the town centre, the second phase is focused on this sector-based industrial support and a significant amount of work is already underway.
Future space
We’ve identified the need for future space for businesses as a priority and are prototyping through the existing growth in the St Neots eastern expansion sites at Loves Farm and Wintringham Park.
Wintringham Park
The Masterplan Steering Group have engaged with Urban&Civic as developers of the Wintringham Park site which is a major aspect of the eastern expansion of St Neots. Wintringham Park has in principle planning permission for 2,800 homes and includes 63,500m² of employment space. This is quite simply a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape and stimulate the next phase of St Neots’ economic growth.
The Masterplan Steering Group has successfully agreed with Urban&Civic that this employment space can be brought forward in line with the masterplan, namely that creative space will be designed to support the development of the KIBS and Creative sector, and light-industrial and research and development space will be provided to support the development of the manufacturing sector.
The aspiration runs much deeper than this headline and the Masterplan Group has now invited a representative from Urban&Civic to work with the Steering Group to ensure that the site is designed and delivered to the highest possible standards, and in a way which is connected to the town centre and the wider plans for St Neots.
Loves Farm
Similar engagement is planned with Gallaghers who have already delivered Loves Farm Phase 1 and have embarked upon Phase 2 of that plan for an additional 1,020 new homes, 5.52 hectares of B1 employment space and 2.08 hectares of other commercial and servicing facilities, likely to generate circa 2,900 new job opportunities.
Future skills
We’ve identified the need for the for provision of skills to meet business needs and are developing a specific skills and training programme for St Neots.
The masterplan analysis identified that there is a lack of industry ready training within St Neots and that industry leaders in the town have expressed concern over the limited availability of trained labour that is suitable for the type of production and design work that is required. In order to address this key issue the chair of the St Neots Manufacturing Club and the County Council’s head of Adult Learning and Skills have been appointed to the Steering Group and are developing a specific skills and training programme for St Neots.
Through this it has been agreed that St Neots will be used as a case study for the Combined Authority’s emerging skills strategy for the whole of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. This will position the research and business engagement undertaken in St Neots at the forefront of strategic thinking for the county, and will also allow for the fast-tracked development of investment proposals.