ACCELERATED GROWTH, ACCELERATING OPPORTUNITIESconstellationpartnership.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/hs2... · Constellation Partnership 3 Growth Strategy CREATING A NEW, HIGH

WORKING DRAFT: VERSION 13

ACCELERATED GROWTH, ACCELERATING OPPORTUNITIES HS2 GROWTH STRATEGY: SUMMARY REPORTOctober 2017 : Wording Draft V.14

ACCELERATED GROWTH, ACCELERATING OPPORTUNITIES

HS2 GROWTH STRATEGYCONSTELLATION PARTNERSHIP

October 2018

2Constellation Partnership Growth Strategy

Crewe to London

Existing and Future Journey Times from Key Centres To London

55 mins 90

83

77Stoke-on-Trent to London

a case for a minimum of: 5-7 HS2 trains per hour each way

from the Crewe Hub and 2 HS2 trains per hour each way from

Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford

Future Journey Times from the Crewe Hub

with60 mins

53 mins

DRIVING GROWTH THROUGH TRANSFORMATIONAL HS2 CONNECTIVITY

Visualisation of the Crewe Hub Station campus: 1 of 3 HS2 hubs in the Constellation

Manchester

BirminghamLondon

c. 30m

c. 20m

Stafford to London

3 Growth StrategyConstellation Partnership

CREATING A NEW, HIGH PERFORMING, CONSTELLATION OF PLACES

Our Growth Strategy will help deliver at least 120,000 new jobs, and 100,000 new homes, with c £6 bn per year of GVA by 2040.Of that, c £3 bn each year will be generated by a ‘full specification’ HS2 service and complementary Growth Strategy investments.

The Constellation Partnership

We are a ground-breaking alliance of 7 major local authorities and 2 Local Enterprise Partnerships, and already one of the UK’s biggest and most vibrant economic areas.

Growth will bring a successful, sustainable future – a region that rises to the challenges of economic change, bringing the best of employment, housing and quality of life for current and future generations.

HS2 will deliver a step change in travel times, transforming access to labour, jobs, and housing markets, boosting skills, and increasing rail capacity for local services and freight.

Centred on 3 HS2 transport hubs at Crewe, Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford, and building on already competitive 360o road and rail connectivity, investment in enhanced supporting infrastructure will unlock development, driving growth throughout all of the Constellation, and across neighbouring economies.

Delivering our Growth Strategy - from vision into action Our area is unique and distinctive – with competitive connectivity, world leading education and research bases, exceptional landscapes, and quality of life - from city living to market towns - affordable excellence.

We will grow our economy by over 20% by 2040 - through strong and consistent local leadership, a clear vision and action plan, and the appetite and capacity to deliver innovative and sustainable ‘good growth’.

LONDON

HS2

HS1

NORTHERN POWERHOUSE

Manchester LeedsLiverpool

BirminghamEast Midlands Hub

MIDLANDS ENGINE

Cheshire East

Staffordshire Moorlands

Cheshire West & Chester

Stoke-on-Trent

Newcastle- Under-Lyme

Stafford

EdinburghGlasgow

..... at the heart of the UK economy

Crewe


Growth Strategy Outcomes and Benefits ..... 14

Our Growth Strategy ....................................... 10

The Opportunity ............................................... 6

27Funding ...............................................................

21

19

• Housing Delivery .........................................

• Transport ......................................................

Delivery Plan ...................................................... 30

31Next Steps .........................................................

THE CONSTELLATION PARTNERSHIP

A committed partnership, with the appetite and capacity for innovative growth. We are:

• Cheshire East Council

• Cheshire West & Chester Council

• Newcastle-Under-Lyme Borough Council

• Stafford Borough Council

• Staffordshire County Council

• Staffordshire MoorlandsDistrict Council

• Stoke-on-Trent City Council

• Cheshire & Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership

• Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership

The Purpose and Status of this Report:-This document summarises aspects of our ongoing and evolving Growth Strategy work, and is issued for information purposes only.Please contact the Constellation Partnership for further information.

23

• Social & Green Infrastructure ....................

• Employment & Skills ...................................

25

16Delivering Good Growth ..................................

Contents

Governance ........................................................ 29


FOREWORD

We are delighted to present the Constellation Partnership’s exciting proposals to capitalise on the enormous opportunities that HS2 and supporting infrastructure will bring to this area. Our innovative cross-boundary Partnership is confident that with the right investment we can increase the already substantial contribution that we make to UK plc. We are a dynamic and diverse constellation of places that are willing - and able - to grow together.

The Partnership is committed to making sure that high speed rail investment supports our ambitious plans for good growth: inclusive, sustainable, and viable growth that combines innovation and high productivity with more jobs, improved skills, a high-quality environment, and widespread prosperity.

We know our communities recognise the need for growth, equally we understand their concerns about the implications, particularly of housing growth. Our focus is therefore on ‘good growth’ – developing innovative funding and delivery mechanisms to ensure that a blend of sites can be delivered, with a focus on making brownfield sites viable. We are committed to ensuring development is sustainable – both clean and green - beautifully designed, fully serviced, and accessible so that is welcomed by communities and ensures high quality homes are available for future generations.

Our Growth Strategy demonstrates how we stand ready to ensure our areas’ future success and the scale of our employment, housing and growth ambitions sets us apart. We have masterplans in place to deliver growth around our three HS2 stations, in addition to an established and proven pipeline of ‘ready-to-go’ sites for employment and housing. We demonstrate the capacity for additional significant growth following further Government commitment to a ‘full specification’ HS2 service and key transport and infrastructure investments. The momentum for growth is already gathering pace and early wins will be achieved through pipeline schemes, whilst longer term growth will be plan-led through future alignment of statutory development plans across the area.

We are clear, though, that this potential will not be realised without the right support from Government. Only commitment to a full specification HS2 service, supported by local and national investment in complementary infrastructure, skills and employment programmes will deliver this significant and compelling set of opportunities.

We are not waiting for the first high speed trains to arrive. In this document the Partnership sets out its ambitious and realistic strategy to deliver growth - from vision through to action.

ACCELERATED GROWTH, ACCELERATING OPPORTUNITIES

Cheshire East Council

Cheshire West and Chester Council

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council

Stafford Borough Council

Staffordshire County Council

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council

Stoke-on-Trent City Council

Cheshire & Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership

Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership


HS2 will re-shape the UK’s economic geography.

As well as reducing travel times and increasing rail capacity, HS2 will strengthen the Constellation’s national, and international, reach. It will enable the area to become a leading economic powerhouse in the UK, helping to rebalance the UK economy.

Our research in this Strategy shows how HS2 will bring high value jobs and investment to the region, and that improved national and local connectivity, including optimisation of released capacity in existing rail infrastructure, will facilitate a shift to new industries and sectors, particularly those that rely on specialist knowledge and skills. Land values will increase and the area’s attractiveness as a living and working location will grow. Crucially, HS2 will help to reduce inequality and deprivation throughout the Constellation - a core driver of our Growth Strategy - through targeted employment and skills approaches.

Journey times will improve and there will be better synergy and integration with the fast-growing neighbouring economies, including the Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Engine. However, wider investment across our skills and social infrastructure, and in the Constellation’s road and public transport network, will be essential to improve ‘next tier’ connectivity, to release capacity and unlock previously inaccessible sites, and to unlock growth - all maximising the positive impact of HS2, ensuring that the benefits are felt throughout the Constellation Partnership.

THE OPPORTUNITY

HS2 AS A CATALYST

Base map courtesy of HS2 Ltd.

Full HS2 specification classic compatible services

HS2 stations

Integrated high speed stations

Core high speed network (Phase One and Two)

Core high speed network (Phase 2a)

Stoke-on-Trent

To Ireland

To Scotland

and North Wales


The Opportunity

A CONSTELLATION OF CONNECTED PLACES

With 360° connectivity:

• national and local

• road and rail

Central to the UK, the Constellation is the only place that will offer direct connections from the Crewe hub to London in 55 minutes, Manchester in under 60 minutes, and Birmingham in under 30 minutes, together with 360° connectivity to Wales, Scotland, Merseyside, and both the East and West Midlands.

Crewe and Stoke-on-Trent provide east-west rail connections between Chester and North Wales in the west, and Derby, Nottingham and the HS2 East Midlands Hub in the east.

No less than four major UK airports will be less than an hour away.

A new HS2 rail hub at Crewe, alongside fast HS2 services to Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford – supported by enhanced ‘next tier‘ regional rail services and investment in public transport - will secure its status as a connected constellation of places able to respond and adapt to 21st century challenges and opportunities.


THE CONSTELLATION TODAY:• CONNECTED ECONOMIC HUBS • THE CAPACITY FOR GROWTH

... and already a significant contributor to UK PLC

The Constellation is uniquely diverse with a wide range of natural and built environments. By transforming connectivity, the area is in a position to offer a wide range of investment opportunities. This includes major city centre development, high value rural development, town centre investment, and investment in sustainable new settlements.

The Constellation already makes a significant £29 billion per annum contribution to the national economy with 600,000 jobs across the area.

Today, the area has a significant population of 1,300,000, larger in total than any UK city outside London.

Our Growth Strategy shows that transformational economic and housing growth can be achieved across the Constellation. All of this growth will occur in accessible locations served by 21st century sustainable modes of transport.

In addition to providing opportunities for growth, this new population will benefit existing city and town centres - reviving and sustaining them as dynamic local hubs. All of this will be nourished by the Constellation’s heritage and its exceptional landscapes – the Peak District, the Staffordshire Moorlands, the Potteries and the villages and towns of Staffordshire and Cheshire.

The Opportunity

Significant momentum is building around the growth of Stafford, with a range of development projects transforming the town centre. This includes the Riverside retail scheme and emerging Stafford Station Gateway development which lies adjacent to Stafford railway station and will provide new residential and employment uses in the Town Centre. Major development of Redhill Business Park continues with key employers such as GE and Omicron supporting up to 2,500 jobs.

Home of the University of Keele and its Science and Innovation Park, Newcastle-under-Lyme is a key centre for higher education and knowledge economy jobs. It is collaboratively planning with Stoke-on-Trent for more growth in homes and jobs. These will benefit from networked public transport connecting directly with the HS2-compatible station at Stoke-on-Trent , with a new Rapid Transit link and improvements to the local rail network enhancing local centres, including the role of Kidsgrove.

The Constellation has a vibrant mix of market towns and rural countryside. These complement the area’s urban core. Recent development shows the potential that HS2 will unleash in the market towns, including Baron’s Quay in Northwich. Our market towns are actively preparing for future growth - including Winsford, with its strategically located 30 hectare Winsford Industrial Estate employment site, and Middlewich with the development of ‘Magnitude’ employment and logistics site.

Crewe will become the key rail hub for the Constellation with integrated HS2 and enhanced regional rail services. Crewe has a long history as a railway town, one which HS2 will re-purpose for the 21st century. Known for its high value manufacturing - including Bentley Motors - HS2 will be the catalyst to support high value growth and improved quality of life for all - doubling the size and impact of the town centre regeneration programme.


The Opportunity

Newcastle-under-Lyme Constellation Towns

Stafford Crewe

Stoke-on-Trent is the capital of The Constellation – it’s vibrant, unique, resurgent city heart. The commercial, retail and leisure hub, developing rapidly and with huge potential for further growth - supporting existing town centres and building on the ongoing transformation of the city centre. Home of Staffordshire University and Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone and heart of the UK ceramics industry, and at the forefront of innovative housing development, the city is one of three key industry, growth, and transport hubs that will drive growth throughout the Constellation.

Stoke-on-Trent


OUR GROWTH STRATEGY

By 2040, the Constellation will be an exemplar for ‘good growth’:-To remain vibrant and sustainable, the Constellation area needs to grow to ensure its future economic success, to counteract the challenges posed by an ageing population, and to bring the best of employment, housing and quality of life outcomes for current and future generations.

All new growth will enhance existing centres and new development will be sustainably located in places with access to good public transport.

New homes, of all tenures, will be well designed and built to sustainable standards. Enhanced infrastructure, new jobs and economic growth will provide more opportunities for prosperity in less affluent areas. The quality of natural and built environments will be enhanced by new development.

Major development will be focused on existing major centres benefiting from direct investment in HS2 – Crewe, Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford. In addition to the national rail network, these places benefit from proximity to the M6, A500 and other major roads within the Constellation.

But good growth is not purely about large scale infrastructure investment. The whole area will benefit from a wide range of investment of various scales, so that all places gain from the opportunities that high speed rail brings, through improved connectivity.

We have been careful not to ‘double count’ outcomes arising from investment in adjacent and overlapping areas, and have ensured that our development proposals complement what is happening in neighbouring economies.

Transformed connectivity across the Constellation

Transport hubs at centre of growth

Core growth area

Settlements

Constellation primary area (employment and housing figures reflect this area)

Constellation secondary area of influence


Our Growth Strategy

11Constellation Partnership

A Constellation of Connected PlacesBuilding on 3 HS2 transport hubs and growth areas at Crewe, Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford, the Constellation will be a distinctive network of connected and successful places. Each will draw on its unique natural and built assets to deliver exceptional quality of life. Supported by committed and co-ordinated leadership, each place will offer a diversity of investment opportunities, helping to deliver significant growth and improved connectivity throughout the Constellation area.

We will deliver the social and transport infrastructure that will drive significant growth and improve productivity. We will make a real difference to the lives of existing communities whilst also attracting the residents and the workforce that our economy and our communities need.

This will ensure that growth spreads well beyond the footprint of the HS2 transport hubs. Each place will have a range of supporting facilities and local employment opportunities. New development will support the costs of the infrastructure that it requires, and we will capture the surplus land value that is generated.

Stoke-on-Trent : The transformed urban centreOur spatial strategy shows where new employment, housing and social infrastructure will be located. Stoke-on-Trent is the capital of the Constellation – the city’s impressive ongoing transformation as the commercial, retail and leisure heart of the area will be accelerated by the delivery of this Growth Strategy, including regular HS2 services from London, Birmingham and Manchester.

A World Class Rail Hub at Crewe Crewe will be the Constellation’s primary transport hub. New development will ripple from the constellation’s urban heart to generate good growth throughout the area. Enhanced public transport services focused on Crewe and the other transport hubs in the area will strengthen the Constellation’s connectivity to adjoining economies.

A Constellation of Thriving and Distinctive TownsThe main urban areas will be supported by a constellation of distinctive and successful market towns, reinforced by released rail capacity and improved road and rail connectivity. We will build on the identity of our places – from Winsford to Leek and Newcastle-under-Lyme to Stone and the Six Towns of Stoke-on-Trent– to provide a range of high quality living and working environments. The Partnership will continue to invest in our town centres to ensure that these can meet existing residents needs, as well as rise to the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.

1 A Constellation of Connected Places

A World Class Rail Hub at Crewe

A Constellation of Thriving and Distinctive Towns

Stoke-on-Trent : The transformed urban centre 1

2

3

4

2

43

12Constellation Partnership Growth Strategy12Constellation Partnership

Maximise the impact of HS2 in line with Government’s Industrial Strategy. A full specification HS2 service, with a minimum of: • 5-7 trains per hour each way from Crewe Hub to London,

Birmingham and Manchester• 2 HS2 trains per hour each way from Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford

1Support enhanced quality of life by focusing on high quality design, ease of movement and sustainable growth. The Constellation will collaborate to enhance the area’s social, community and cultural offer to improve the lives of existing communities and attract new people to the area.

7

Deliver ‘good growth’ beyond HS2 ‘development zones’ to ensure that all communities benefit from the significant investment that is being committed to HS2. This will build on enhanced regional rail connectivity, making full use of released capacity for both people and freight.

2

Rebalance the UK economy by creating a new ‘city region’ that delivers transformational growth outside existing city regions.3

8Support existing town centres by continuing to invest in new development and improved public realm as well as creating connected new settlements.

Provide a comprehensive network of infrastructure to include transport, social and cultural assets.9

Develop a comprehensive and integrated package of funding, infrastructure, jobs, housing and skills.4 Focus on a longer-term modal shift to public transport as well as

addressing road congestion on key corridors. 10

Develop innovative approaches to growth and to actively engage with the private sector to generate significant locally raised contributions, including a range of innovative approaches to value capture including existing mechanisms and piloting new policy.

5 Provide a wide range of investment propositions, taking advantage of our diverse constellation of places to stimulate high value growth along with affordable excellence.

11

Transform housing delivery by linking opportunities in challenging areas with deliverable opportunities through innovative new planning and development models.

6Build a distinctive offer, focusing on regional and local strengths and key sectors of expertise, reinforced by access to a large skilled workforce.

12

Our Growth Strategy

OUR GROWTH STRATEGY: KEY OBJECTIVES

13 Growth StrategyConstellation Partnership Growth StrategyConstellation Partnership

A Growth Strategy based on Strong EvidenceWe have commissioned a comprehensive expert review of national and international case studies to identify the impact that high speed rail will have. Learning from this, the Partnership is assembling a package of investment strategies to ensure investment in HS2 is optimised to provide inclusive and sustainable development throughout the region. It will build on the significant progress that has already been made to provide innovative new modes of housing and employment delivery, and reinforce the transformation of local transport networks.

Our evidence shows that:• High speed rail can be the catalyst to reposition cities and

regions;• Transformation relies on a combination of both high- speed

and ‘next tier’ intra-regional infrastructure together with a complementary set of locally-derived planning and investment decisions;

• Connectivity can be used to spread the benefits of high speed rail – the better the connectivity, the further the benefits spread;

• Smaller urban areas can make significant economic gains - high speed rail does not just act to improve the already successful economic regions;

• The public sector has an important enabling role in securing and delivering growth.

Transformational Growth: Plans for New Homes and EmploymentOur work to date shows that the urban cores will see the highest levels of housing growth, supported by regeneration masterplans including for Crewe, Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford HS2 stations and Winsford town centre. Approximately 40% of the housing growth will be within the urban cores. This is underlined by our confidence that we will continue our success in accelerating our housing delivery.

Partners are actively planning for this growth in both homes and jobs, in order to clearly understand the supporting infrastructure that will be needed, including education, community, and health and well-being investments.

We will utilise this evidence base to help shape a future coherent array of Local Plans across the Constellation: plan-led good growth.

The effect of High Speed Rail in similar places across the globe

Liege: 15,000 new jobs in financial and professional

services in 5 years

Kakegawa: 8% growth in total employment

1988 - 1992

Zaragoza: 77,000 increase in population, 56,000 new

jobs in 5 years

Lille: 16,000 new jobs1993-2001

Lyon: 43% increase in office space

Limburg: 2.7% higher economic impact than non

high speed locations

1 Good growth will be welcomed by existing and new residents. High quality sustainable development will attract new communities to the Constellation and offer amenities and uses that appeal to people who already live here, driving footfall to support existing town centres.

Good Growth will support and drive the implementation of all necessary infrastructure — whether skills development and employment programmes, social and digital infrastructure — school, community facilities and local amenities – or transport – from improved public transport to local roads.

5 Good growth will take a collaborative and strategic approach to drive innovation in planning, place-making and the provision of infrastructure fit for a Constellation ready to meet the challenges of 21st century change.

Good growth will take place in neighbourhoods with a range of facilities and local employment opportunities. We will ensure that new places have many different activities and uses that meet local people’s needs.

Good growth will generate a surplus land value that can be captured. This will be reinvested in Constellation places to ensure that we continue to enhance our quality of life and the culture of our places.

6 Good growth will connect both urban and rural growth with the natural environment so that all communities benefit from the Constellation’s exceptional parks, moors, and landscapes, natural features that provide the area with its unique identity.

1

2

3

4

5

6

Our Good Growth Principles

Our Growth Strategy

GROWTH STRATEGY: OUTCOMES AND BENEFITS

14Constellation Partnership 14Constellation Partnership

EMPLOYMENTBy 2040, the Constellation will see employment growth of at least 120,000 jobs.

This will bring an additional GVA contribution to the national economy of up to £6.4 bn per annum. Of this uplift, the net additional GVA benefit of a full specification HS2 service is between £2.5 and £3.2 bn per annum.

Jobs are likely to continue to increase beyond this date as the full benefits of HS2 investment are realised in the long term.

In the short term, employment growth will benefit from construction of HS2. In the longer term, the Constellation will provide an adaptable and highly skilled workforce to support growth throughout the region. There will be a significant uplift in economic growth in a range of sectors :

• HS2 sensitive sectors including: financial, professional and business services; science and technology; creative and digital; logistics and distribution; and automotive/aerospace;

• Key sub-sectors within advanced manufacturing, including ceramics, motor vehicles, electronics, and, machinery; and

• Housing-led employment. This growth has been demonstrated to drive consumption locally, but also key service sectors including transport, health and education.

Beyond an integrated package of connectivity and quality of place investment delivered in tandem with central government, we have proposed a pan-Constellation skills package to support the optimum level of economic growth that HS2 investment can deliver.

This package is set out on pages 23 and 24.

This will help to reinvigorate the urban cores of Crewe, Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford, supporting growth throughout the Constellation of market towns, and their rural hinterland.

Our HS2 Growth Strategy will enable an additional 120,000 new jobs across the Constellation.

Our evidence shows that growth in employment will be transformational. Present day jobs of 600,000

will grow to at least 720,000 representing an increase of over 20%.

Local Planto 2035

Additional LocalPlan to 2040

HS2 Growth Strategy

beyond 2040

This additional growth is dependent on a minimum of:

5-7 trains per hour each way from Crewe Hub

2 HS2 trains per hour each way from Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford

Growth Strategy


HOUSING

For some areas this will require a significant uplift in delivery rates through new approaches to housebuilding, including a shift in planning policy to better capture value locally.

At least 100,000 homes will be enabled to 2040 as a consequence of our HS2 Growth Strategy.

Supported by increased employment opportunities, our Partnership has committed to more housing across the region. This requires early support, including funding and aligned planning, to ensure infrastructure is in place and development-ready sites identified and secured so that the growth is unlocked and delivered as projected, and in line with our ‘good growth’ principles.

Local Plan to 2035

Additional Local Plan to 2040

HS2 Growth Strategy

beyond 2040

Housing is a critical part of the Constellation’s growth strategy. It contributes to the health and well-being of our communities. Without significant numbers of new homes, the Constellation will not fully capitalise on investment in HS2.

By 2040 the Growth Strategy can deliver 100,000 new homes across all types of housing, supported by increased employment opportunities. The Partnership estimates that it’s population could increase from 1,300,000 in 2017 to 1,525,000 by 2040.

This scale of ambition is at one both a challenge and an opportunity for the Partnership.

Please refer to pages 25 and 26 of this report for our housing delivery plans.

This additional growth is dependent on a minimum of:

5-7 trains per hour each way from Crewe Hub

2 HS2 trains per hour each way from Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford

Our figures consist of growth already allocated in Local Plans within the area, extrapolated growth to 2040, with additional growth supported by the catalytic impact of investment in a full specification HS2 network within the Constellation.

Note that growth figures – for both new employment and housing - quoted in this document exclude Chester and other towns on the northern fringe. These have been accounted for in growth figures for adjacent areas.

Growth Strategy Outcomes and Benefits

16

Constellation Partnership Growth Strategy

DELIVERING GOOD GROWTH The Partnership is determined to ensure that all communities benefit from HS2. It is equally committed to ensure that growth is of exceptional quality, and that it makes the most of the area’s assets, including its people. This is vital in order to attract people from elsewhere to live, work or invest in the area.

The adjacent diagram shows the Partnership’s emerging spatial development strategy. Major new employment sites have been identified in accessible locations, and the housing strategy is being developed in accordance with our ‘good growth’ principles. This reinforces the Partnership’s aim to deliver plan-led growth throughout the entire area. It is supported by specific prioritised and costed plans for infrastructure investment - both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’.

We have already produced Area Masterplans not only for our 3 HS2 hubs, and also for initial growth centred on our Constellation towns.

Our delivery strategy is set out in the following pages:

Growth at Our Transport Hubs:

• Our Area Masterplans

Delivering Good Growth:

• Transport

• Infrastructure

• Housing Delivery

• Employment and Skills

HS2 Transport hubs at centre of growth

Core growth area

Public transport nodes

Settlements

Constellation primary area

Constellation secondary area of influence

‘Good Growth’ driven by our Transport Infrastructure

Growth StrategyConstellation Partnership 17

Delivering Good Growth

GROWTH AT OUR TRANSPORT HUBS: AREA MASTERPLANS

Stoke-on-Trent• Station area masterplan to drive growth via HS2 connectivity to London,

Manchester, and Birmingham • City centre masterplan and town plans to transform housing and employment

delivery, unlocking potential for growth around the existing centres

Stafford Station Gateway Growth Area• Major growth area underway taking advantage of direct link to HS2• 6,500 new jobs in office, commercial, logistics and leisure with 800 homes

Crewe Hub Station Campus Growth Area• HS2 core station transformation - connecting HS2, national, and regional rail

services to the motorway network and Crewe Town Centre• A Crewe Hub Station HS2 campus generating 3750 homes and 20,000 jobs• A further 3,400 homes and 17,000 jobs across the wider area of the Crewe Hub

Masterplan

Connected, Thriving and Distinctive Constellation Towns• Vibrant range of high quality living and working environments, • From Keele, a top UK research-led university, to successful market towns.• ‘Early Win’ development underway, with further growth planned at places

such as Winsford - with an enabling Development Framework adopted and substantial employment and housing sites available - and Northwich.


HS2 PrioritiesWith HS2 as a catalyst and improvements in the road and rail network, the Constellation will offer an integrated network supporting growth across the wide economic region for many generations. It will improve north-south connectivity to the Northern Powerhouse and the Midlands Engine and east-west connectivity to North Wales and the East Midlands. Access to the national road and rail network will be improved.

Our asks of central government are:

• 5-7 HS2 trains through a regional hub station at Crewe (with services to London from 2027 and Birmingham/ Manchester from 2033);

• At least two classic compatible trains per hour to Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford from 2027;

• Utilisation and capacity freed up by HS2 for freight and enhanced regional rail services.

• Provision of Crewe North Junction with HS2, enabling northwards high speed connectivity

+100,000 new homes

Only a minimum of: 5-7 High Speed trains per hour each way from Crewe Hub

2 HS2 trains per hour each way from Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford can generate...

+120,000 new jobs

To fully capture the benefits of HS2, and to deliver improved economic growth, the Constellation Partnership has examined what interventions and mechanisms are required to deliver positive impacts and to ensure that those benefits are felt across the Constellation Partnership, and indeed in neighbouring economies.These Delivering ‘Good Growth’ pages set out the Partnership’s strategy for these interventions:-

• Investment in a ‘full specification’ HS2• Wider ‘next tier’ strategic connectivity improvements and transformation at

our key HS2 transport hubs. • The mechanisms needed to consolidate and grow the Partnership area’s

strong housing delivery. • Our strategies to deliver across the full spectrum of enabling infrastructure – social, digital, ‘green’ and finally for skills.

An Integrated Transport NetworkTo ensure the benefits of HS2 investment are spread across the Constellation area, our Growth Strategy sets out a programme of complementary investments in our local, regional and national transport infrastructure. These will deliver an enhanced and fully integrated transport network across the area, and are as critical as HS2 investment in unlocking the growth potential of the Constellation. They comprise:

• Investment in public transport to allow residents, businesses and visitors to move more easily within and between the Constellations’ HS2 hubs, towns and villages. The programme includes investment in key rail corridors including improvements to rail connections between Crewe, the Constellation’s primary transport hub, and Stoke-on-Trent/Newcastle-under-Lyme as well as the provision of potential new stations on the West Coast Main Line and regional rail lines to improve access. The programme also includes improved sustainable transport connectivity to deliver the ‘metro-isation’ of the conurbation.

• Investment in the region’s road network to ease congestion, free up capacity and unlock growth by, addressing pinch-points across the Constellation which impact local and national corridors and creating and extending key road corridors designed to improve connections between the Constellation’s key places, supporting the delivery of good growth across the area.

DELIVERING GOOD GROWTH

Our call for a ‘full specification‘ HS2 service

18

Transport

Constellation Partnership Growth Strategy19

DELIVERING GOOD GROWTH: TRANSPORTTowards ‘Metro-isation’ of Transport Infrastructure:Possible Local 360° Rapid Transit Connectivity in 2050

Achieving change at our HS2 transport hub stations

Our research confirms that key to maximising the impact of high speed rail is investment in infrastructure around the High Speed Stations and across the wider area. Therefore, significant investments in transport infrastructure are proposed which will deliver a fully integrated transport network across the Constellation and improve connectivity to our economic neighbours in the Northern Powerhouse, Midlands Connect, and North Wales. This prioritised package of interventions has been designed to build on the area’s existing strengths, whilst tackling issues of congestion and enabling residents and businesses to travel to and within the Constellation area more freely.

HS2 Hub StationsTo deliver optimum outcomes, we will work with Government to put in place the local infrastructure required to deliver transformational change at our 3 HS2 hub stations, building on the masterplans for each of these areas:

Crewe

A fully integrated hub station capable of serving 7 HS2 trains per hour in each direction, with platform capacity to split and join 400m trains with efficient interchange facilities. This will require:• Rail infrastructure to accommodate 5-7 HS2 services per hour whilst enabling growth in national

and regional rail services.• A new transfer deck providing access across the station from the East and West with enhanced

gateway entrances supporting new retail and commercial development• A new southern road and pedestrian link bridge improving east-west traffic flow and access to the

hub station from across the region• Local junction improvements to better connect the hub station and town centre• Investment in public realm surrounding the station.

Stoke-on-Trent

A transformed HS2 station served by ‘full specification’ HS2 service of 2 trains per hour. This will require:• Two new platforms and a new northern station entrance and concourse• Local infrastructure upgrades and investment in significant additional parking capacity

Stafford

A HS2 station capable of supporting the delivery of a high-density and high value commercial and residential district. This will require:• Station and access improvements including a new western station access• Stafford Western Access Road – an ‘early win’, already funded by the Department for Transport -

supporting station access and masterplan growth

West Coast Main Line

Local rail

Bus Rapid Transit

Other lines

Transport

N.B. Map is conceptual and is for illustrative purposes only


AN INTEGRATED TRANSPORT NETWORK

PUBLIC TRANSPORT PRIORITIES HIGHWAY PRIORITIESOur expert evidence shows that the Constellation’s growth ambitions – and its enhanced contribution to the national economy – cannot be realised without a modal shift to public transport in the longer term. This means:

• Making better use of existing assets including rail capacity upgrades and new stations;

• Targeted investment in new public transport infrastructure including new rail and rapid transit lines that link the Constellation’s network of places.

Investment in the Constellation’s highway network is essential to ease congestion, free up road capacity and unlock growth capacity. A more efficient road network enables the introduction of rapid transit networks and improved local bus services. Our priorities are:

• Improved motorways, trunk roads and bypasses throughout the Constellation;

• Better access to key rail hubs and the motorway;

• More efficient movement in and around city centres and major towns.

Rail Corridor Enhancements Road Corridor Enhancements

Leek Leek

Stafford Stafford

Crewe Crewe

Winsford Winsford

Northwich Northwich

Chester Chester

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360 Vision

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VisionWest Midlands West Midlands

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent

Transport


Enhancing Quality of Life for all our peopleOne of the Constellation’s key differentiators, and attractors for inward investment, is its balance not only of access to labour and markets, but also its quality of life.

This underpins our emphasis on delivering ‘Good Growth’, and on managing the hard and soft impacts of economic change, to bring the best employment, housing, and quality of life outcomes, for our people of all ages, skills and incomes and for the further 225,000 people who could live in our area in the future.

What is fundamental to our strategy is that we will ensure that growth occurs in parallel with the enhancement of the Constellation’s quality of life, specifically its environment, and unique range of landscapes. In tandem, we will accelerate our current programmes to deliver an enhanced and wider cultural offer in support of our specific quality of place and place-making agendas.

In these pages, we set out our strategy for the enabling infrastructure we need for our people - for additional social infrastructure, and for our smart, clean, sustainable future.

Social InfrastructureThe delivery of 100,000 new homes, many of them on sites new to housing, will place significant demands on the social infrastructure of the Partnership, including for schooling, primary healthcare, and upon public and recreational space.

We have undertaken a detailed assessment of these substantial requirements, and are developing an approach to how these are phased and funded as growth occurs in the short, medium, and long term. The trajectory and scale for future demand for school, healthcare and recreational space suggests that a carefully programmed, staged, delivery will be necessary, to deliver social infrastructure in line with the development of new homes.

DELIVERING GOOD GROWTH: OUR SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURESocial & Green Infrastructure


DELIVERING GOOD GROWTH: SMART, CLEAN, SUSTAINABLEThe Constellation Partnership is committed to ensuring that the principles of sustainability and ‘Smart solutions’ are embedded into our Growth Strategy.

Fully aligned with both of the Government’s Industrial and Clean Growth Strategies, development related to HS2 will be designed to respond to the opportunities of digitisation and decarbonisation of the economy, ensuring that the area is fit for the future and will continue to attract investment. The Constellation area is of sufficient size to be an early adopter and provide technology demonstration at a scale which could be of interest to technology providers and Government, becoming an exemplar in the integration of smart, sustainable solutions. An example of smart sustainable solutions is the M6 J16-19 Smart motorway scheme which is on site.

Recent work commissioned by the Skills and Growth Company of Cheshire East Council explored the real potential for the integration of Smart digital technologies to overcome some of the challenges related to the development of the Constellation area. The report concludes that the Constellation area is an ideal location to adopt Smart solutions, and could enable development through application of smart and efficient digital services and infrastructure to support physical connectivity, economic infrastructure, quality of place, and health and wellbeing.

Alongside this the Constellation Partners have undertaken significant work to explore the potential for decentralised heat and power networks, and capitalising on the economic benefits, in line with the UK Clean Growth Strategy. The Stoke and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, City of Stoke of Trent and Staffordshire County Council have embedded heat networks into the City Deal process, seeking to develop a core heat network and exploiting energy from waste and geothermal. Cheshire East has an agreed Energy Framework which seeks to build out heat and power networks in Crewe and Macclesfield, exploit opportunities for smart grid/battery technology, and tap into the significant opportunity for deep geothermal directly under Crewe.

The adoption of such smart sustainable solutions would ensure the efficient use and resilience of the existing and planned infrastructure, leading to significant cost and resource reductions, faster benefit realisation, and potentially less disturbance for communities.

Smart Connectivity The digital connectivity of the HS2 Hub is critical in realising its benefits for our communities. The embedding of smart technologies into the transport network can provide cost effective solutions to optimise traffic flows, provide dynamic signposting, support on-demand and flexible public transport, prioritise active travel, and real-time parking management.

These solutions can also be linked to the infrastructure required for ultra-low carbon vehicles, future autonomous solutions, and to support emerging flexible working.

Smart EnergyEnergy is a critical enabling infrastructure - the security, and sustainability of supply is becoming a critical factor in inward investment decisions. The Partnership is committed to demand management and developing smart local decentralised heat and power networks to support the strengthening and decarbonisation of national energy networks. This is evidenced by Keele University’s ‘at scale’ Smart Energy Network Demonstrator - Europe’s first – a living laboratory where new energy-efficient technologies are researched, developed and tested in a real world.

Building on advanced plans in both Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe, the area has a unique opportunity to power heat and power networks through geothermal energy - supplying clean, affordable renewable energy to support our ambitions, with HS2 stations as a significant anchor load. This could also help to unlock significant economic benefits locally and nationally.

Green infrastructureGreen infrastructure is an infrastructure in its own right, setting the scene for growth, reducing flood risk and urban heat island impacts, providing new pedestrian and cycling routes as well as space for recreation and biodiversity, thereby improving health and wellbeing.

Conceived and delivered as an integrated programme, green infrastructure is regarded as vital to our economy, affording benefits that cannot be provided by other infrastructure.

Smart Infrastructure: Exploiting our digital future, from ways of living – and working - outwardsThe Partnership will anticipate and exploit accelerating changes in ways of working, living, and leisure. We will continue the delivery of fibre broadband to areas outside its commercial deployment. This will reinforce the polycentric nature and advantage of our region by enabling rural dwellers to engage and participate in the new economy. We will continue to explore how digital ways of working can be aligned to education and skills, and how we can develop our digital network capabilities – whether through new routes along HS2 alignments, or the possible development of ‘dark fibre’ networks.

Furthermore, the partnership will embrace the needs for full fibre networks and 5G connectivity as co-existing technologies to enable the area to become one of the best-connected regions in the UK that openly demonstrates and understands the need to position our region and business as ready for the ‘giga-economy’ and understands how this will support businesses, residents and other stakeholders as the digital society ever increases.

Commitment to clean, ‘good growth’Building on its current commitments and investments, the Partnership will seek to maximise the economic value and potential of smart, sustainable technologies through building the market locally, and business support to embed the opportunities for digital and low carbon into all sectors.

We will continue our dialogue with partners to seek support to exploit the potential: -

• To integrate smart digital solutions into our growth ambitions, ensuring that this is supported by the required digital infrastructure.

• for smart, decentralised heat and power schemes to underpin development across the Constellation area.

Social & Green Infrastructure

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The region is home to 5 higher education institu-

tions alone, with over 40,000 students

HS2 offers a unique opportunity for us to develop and implement a long term strategy for improving skills and productivity, to ensure that the Constellation:

• Maximises local job and supply chain opportunities during HS2 construction

• Secures an adaptable and highly skilled workforce for long term growth

With total employment growth driven by HS2 of 120,000 jobs by 2040, we are planning to maximise the immediate benefits of HS2 construction job creation across the region, across all age ranges and across all skill levels. As the Constellation develops, we will continue to embrace the growth of the knowledge economy sectors that HS2 will support, whilst through enhanced accessibility spreading the employment benefits across the area.

The Immediate Challenge, and OpportunityThe immediate challenge we need to address is the demand for construction and engineering skills. We estimate we will need up to 8,000 additional workers by the early 2020s for the construction of HS2, our HS2 stations at Crewe, Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford and our programme of new housebuilding and road and rail investments. The greatest demand will be for a wide range of construction skills but particularly civil engineering, including operatives, technicians and highly skilled engineers.

To meet this immediate challenge, we plan to:

• Engage local construction and engineering businesses about how they can access supply chain opportunities, and work with them to ensure they will have the capacity they need - our developing HS2 Business Support programme.

• Fill a gap in current specialist construction engineering training provision by collaboratively developing and investing mechanisms to access existing training assets across the wider region.

• Inspire young people to pursue a career in design, construction or engineering through a programme of HS2 activities in schools both primary and secondary.

• Set up job brokerages and shared apprenticeship schemes to ensure local people benefit from the investment on their doorstep, including those currently not in employment.

• Work with Construction and Engineering training / membership organisations to assess needs

Crewe Engineering and Design UTC

The region is home to 5

higher education institutions alone, with over 40,000

students

FOUR LABOUR MARKET PRIORITIES

DELIVERING GOOD GROWTH: EMPLOYMENT & SKILLSEmployment & Skills

From day one of our Strategy, we plan to put employers at the heart of inspiring and informing young people, parents, teachers and individuals seeking work or wanting to progress in work about new technologies, job and progression opportunities.

24Constellation Partnership Growth Strategy24 Growth StrategyConstellation Partnership 24Constellation Partnership

CONSTELLATION PARTNERSHIP : SKILLS PRIORITIES

In the longer term, we estimate that a full specification HS2 service could create many further jobs beyond 2040. The connectivity offered by HS2 will lead to a step change in inward investment from high value sectors, while changes in technology will lead to rapidly changing skill needs and increased demand for high level digital skills. This will mean greater involvement and investment in skills and employees, funded by employers.

Our research on what has happened globally to regions with high speed connections shows that jobs are likely to be created across professional and financial services, the creative and digital industries, business administration and support, and tourism and its attendant industries. There is also likely to be increased demand from the advanced manufacturing and distribution sectors, the investment providing a significant boost to some of our cutting edge and globally recognised clusters of life sciences, ceramics, and advanced manufacturing.

Developing skills and all of our workforce: our long term inclusive plan

We need to develop a flexible skills system and a workforce with ‘agile attributes‘ that can adapt to these trends. To achieve this in the long term, we plan to:

• Establish new employer-led training networks in our key sectors (including digital), giving businesses more power to develop joint solutions to their training needs.

• Significantly expand the range of higher and degree apprenticeships offered by our training providers and build on the new Digital Apprenticeship Hub at Staffordshire University.

• Roll out a new approach to learning and designing curriculums, which encourage the development of digital skills, problem solving, creativity and communication.

• In dialogue with Government and partners, secure additional investment to deliver the four overarching priorities and enhance existing successful schemes to reach more learners and businesses;

• Work with employers and encourage them to invest more in training through developing and supporting employer-led training initiatives;

• Develop new models of working for joint commissioning of employment and skills programmes in priority sectors;

• Ensure that local services across the Partnership area are designed and delivered to respond to barriers to work faced by some residents;

• In partnership with HS2 Ltd and local sub-regional partners to harness the procurement potential of HS2 to deliver positive outcomes for local people and businesses through investment in specialised construction training.

• Work both collaboratively and competitively with the Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Engine to unlock optimal benefits from HS2 for the region and nation;

• Support employment growth through a step-change in housing delivery and ensure services are in place to provide the skills that this growth will require.

WORKING TOWARD SUSTAINABLE, INCLUSIVE, EMPLOYMENTEmployment & Skills

The Constellation Partnership are preparing a 10 year Delivery Plan which will set out a comprehensive approach towards securing the Partners’ skills and employment objectives in the run up to the arrival of HS2 in 2027 and setting the conditions for the further work beyond 2027. This will include a number of key costed proposals to deliver the priorities set out below:-

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DELIVERING GOOD GROWTH: HOUSING DELIVERY


With HM Government’s support, the Partnership’s aim is to deliver 100,000 new homes by 2040. This is ambitious. The scale of housing growth sets the Constellation apart from other HS2 growth areas. Our vision is firmly in line with the Government’s aims for the economy and housing as expressed within the Industrial Strategy and the recent Housing White Paper, ‘Fixing the Broken Housing Market’.

The housing market in our area has performed well overall with over 4,500 homes delivered in 2015/16.

HS2 and supporting investment will boost this further and will help overcome the viability issues in parts of the region - we will utilise the levers proposed in this Growth Strategy including:-

• a full specification HS2 service,

• further investment in an integrated transport network,

• the alignment and development of plans for growth in our local centres and

• development of our skill base

• Transform the housing market where necessary to ensure that investment does not bypass areas that show significant failure, particularly in locations made accessible by new rail infrastructure;

• Unlock and accelerate development in high demand areas including taking ownership of key assets where appropriate to capture land value uplift which will be used to support weaker markets;

• Improve the quality and sustainability of existing housing stock specifically where there are concentrations of rundown empty properties which undermine local housing markets;

• Support innovation and new providers including helping to source funds to support local SME growth that will enable self / custom build at scale and modern methods of construction; and

• Improve access to housing so that accelerated supply of housing delivers a broad range of new homes that are affordable and accessible to people where they need or choose to be, whatever their life stage.

OUR HOUSING OBJECTIVES:Delivery of New Homes across the Partnership

Housing Delivery

Housing: Delivery challenges and our responseLooking forward, we are fully aware of the challenges that need to be overcome within the Constellation. There are issues of affordability in some areas, and viability in others. The house building sector needs to be diversified, and modern methods of construction need to be encouraged. Growth will require new ways of working (including possible direct intervention led by the Partnership) and additional resources beyond required investment in strategic infrastructure.

New land supply will need to play a more significant role in sustaining growth and maximising land value uplift. In addition, timing and phasing of significant development is essential. A garden settlement close to an urban centre, for example, should be carefully phased to ensure it supports rather than potentially undermines existing centres, with the principle of establishing urban growth first. This can be achieved by carefully aligning sub regional planning with the Local Plan process.

Housing: Delivery MechanismsThe Constellation Partnership is committed not only to providing homes - of all tenures and in the right places to meet local needs, but also to accelerate delivery.

The Constellation is developing a ‘housing delivery toolkit’ that is driven by local innovation and built on best practice. This toolkit will combine with infrastructure investment to achieve the Partnership’s Housing Objectives.


Housing Delivery

CONSTELLATION PARTNERSHIP : HOUSING DELIVERY PRIORITIES

• Deliver at least 100,000 new homes, by accelerating the delivery of the 77,000 homes identified within Local Plans, on a series of key strategic sites which align with our objective of securing ‘good growth’, ensuring that the supply of housing delivers a broad range of new homes that are affordable and accessible to people where they need or choose to be, whatever their life stage;

• Deliver the unprecedented physical change around the HS2 hubs through exploring opportunities to establish new, or refreshed, delivery vehicles, with the support of government and with the benefit of enhanced acquisition powers; ring-fenced funding; private sector involvement; and streamlined planning procedure.

• Align our planning processes, bringing certainty around future supply and providing better opportunities to capture Land Value Uplift;

• Work closely with the One Public Estate Programme to make sure we are considering all public land and are able to influence where, and when, land is released. We will actively encourage local builders and new entrants to the market.

• Seek new investors in housing, including assembling multiple sites, to provide scale and the potential for high capital growth;

• Explore the creation of ground breaking delivery vehicles, focusing on Modern Methods of Construction; Self and Custom Building; Private Rented Sector; and working with registered providers to leverage their investment, capacity and skills; and

• Continue dialogue with Government to identify and secure opportunities to develop funding packages to promote the delivery of homes in the more challenging areas of the Constellation.

The Constellation Partnership are preparing a 10 year Delivery Plan which will set out a comprehensive approach towards securing the Partners’ housing delivery objectives in the run up to the arrival of HS2 in 2027 and setting the conditions for the further good growth beyond 2027. This will include a number of key costed proposals to deliver the priorities set out below:-


FUNDINGPrioritisationThe infrastructure, housing delivery and skills programmes outlined on the preceding pages reflect the outcomes from a detailed two-stage prioritisation assessment. For the infrastructure elements, a first stage identified only those investments that passed a rigorous prioritisation assessment. The second stage considered the total investment programme through an affordability lens – this reduced capital costs by circa 20%.

Our process identified short term (to 2027), medium term (2027-2033) and long term (2033-2050) project priorities. It also ensured that each and every component of our Growth Strategy is necessary to the successful delivery of the Constellation Partnership’s growth outcomes.

• Strategic public transport infrastructure• Strategic highways infrastructure• HS2 Station masterplan costs• Site enabling works• Social infrastructure• Utilities• Development and operational expenditure

• Traditional sources (e.g. Local Growth Funding, Highways England, Network Rail, National Road Fund, Education & Skills Funding agency and Dept of Work & Pensions funding)

• Local Authority capital programmes / Local transport plans

• Income from stations (car park revenues, profits from commercial developments)

• Public sector direct land ownership• Developer contributions (e.g. Section 106 /

Community Infrastructure Levy)• Retention of incremental taxes (e.g. business

rates retention, Stamp Duty Land Tax retention)• Additional levies and precepts

Funding the investment programmeTo fund its growth ambitions, the Partnership is aware that it will need to make use of both traditional sources of funding, alongside new and innovative mechanisms.

Significant work has been undertaken to assess how value is likely to crystallise as a result of a ‘full specification’ HS2 service, and a comprehensive investment programme. We have assessed a wide range of innovative value capture mechanisms, based on initiatives announced at the last Budget, and parallel initiatives being explored in the West Midlands and Greater Manchester. We have looked carefully at their effectiveness in capturing value, and the dependency of funding streams on the investment required to unlock growth.

Growth Strategy costs Potential funding sources

Funding MechanismsClearly many of the more innovative funding mechanisms will require additional powers and local and national political consensus. The Constellation Partnership will continue to explore such mechanisms with Government to ensure delivery of the ambitions set out in this Growth Strategy. Work is underway to develop credible and compelling business cases for the Partnership’s key priorities, with particular focus on the key interventions needed over the next 10 years to ensure that the Constellation is HS2 ready and we are able to capitalise on the opportunity afforded by HS2.


• Deliver co-ordinated strategic planning across the region to optimise HS2 growth;

• Develop proposals for local transport connectivity

• Accelerate transformational levels of housing and employment creation which is aligned with the vision;

• Coordinate and develop a cohesive skills delivery strategy for the area supporting local strengths and key sectors

• Pilot new policy and delivery mechanisms for UK-wide implementation

The Partnership are committed to delivery of this vision and will:

“The Constellation Partnership’s HS2 Growth Strategy will drive positive change for existing and new residents alike, demonstrating how HS2 investment in the Constellation can deliver growth for the benefit of the UK as a whole - ‘good growth’ which is sustainable and inclusive.”

“The Constellation Partnership has benefited from Government support in the development of this HS2 Growth Strategy. It remains a priority for Government to continue to work with the Partnership as it develops a detailed 10 Year Delivery Plan for the Growth Strategy that will identify a series of critical priorities which together will ensure that the Constellation area is ‘HS2 ready’ prior to the completion of HS2 phase 2a in 2027. These priorities will clearly demonstrate the added value of the Partnership working together, to ensure that the Constellation area is well placed to maximise the opportunities HS2 will bring.”

GOVERNANCE

The Constellation Partnership was born in 2015 out of a shared objective to optimise the sustainable and inclusive growth potential of the area and maximise the impact of High Speed 2 (HS2) investment. The partnership has developed a strong working relationship in the development of a cohesive yet highly ambitious Growth Strategy across a complex geography and it is felt for the immediate timeframe, following submission of the strategy, the existing governance structure should remain.

The current working structure comprises an existing and successful layering of Programme Management, reporting sequentially to Directors, Chief Executives, and Partnership Board, with an external chair.

As the developing dialogue around governance evolves the structure of the Constellation Partnership will become more complex and larger in scale. The partnership would however ensure a single point of contact at the top of the structure for the purposes of discussion with government and other key high-level stakeholders. The Partnership would also put in place overall protocols for the further development, and then monitoring of Growth Strategy objectives, targets, and outcomes.


Transport and Connectivity Group

(Made up of Key Partners and Stakeholders)

Strategic Planning and Masterplanning

Group(Made up of Key

Partners and Stakeholders)

Skills and EmploymentSteering Group

Homes and Places Delivery Group(Made up of Key


Financial Modelling and Investment

Group(Made up of Key


Delivery Board: Directors

Assurance Board: Chief Executives

PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT:

Delivery and Communications

Partnership Board: Leaders & LEP Chairs


DELIVERY PLAN

HS2 will drive very significant growth across the Constellation. Since its formation, the ground breaking, cross-boundary Constellation Partnership has demonstrated that it is able to deliver. High levels of collaboration have been achieved to ensure that all seven participating authorities benefit from high speed rail. We are ensuring that our growth strategy complements – and effectively competes with - surrounding areas. We have been careful not to ‘double count’ benefits that accrue to adjoining Growth Deals.

Delivery will be phased over time and co-ordinated with investment in HS2 infrastructure. We have already considered early land acquisitions that are necessary as precursors to station development and the arrival of HS2 services in 2027. We have initiated Local Plan policy alignment as an early win, and we have undertaken detailed work to define the supporting infrastructure investment needed to make the most of HS2.

In the medium term, we have carefully considered the infrastructure requirements that are needed to release specific sites as demand steps up after 2033 along with public transport improvements. And we have defined the social, and educational resources and governance mechanisms that will maximise growth benefits in the long term to 2040.

The Partnership will build on its successful methodology to evolve bespoke governance mechanisms that work across the Constellation area. We look forward to continuing our work with HM Government to ensure that HS2 investment benefits the people of Crewe, Stoke-on-Trent, and Stafford, along with all the villages and towns that make up the Constellation.

A snapshot of our pipeline of projects, initiatives and proposals

Early Wins – already delivering capacity, getting on with growth

Across the Constellation, Partners are delivering – for implementation within the next 12 to 18 months - fully or partially funded schemes contributing to the goals of the Growth Strategy. These schemes include: -

• Stafford Western Access Road – £30m scheme enabling employment and housing growth: Stafford Station Gateway area master plan

• Newcastle–under-Lyme Chatterley Valley West site – 95-acre employment area within Enterprise Zone with direct rail access

• Blythe Vale – phase 1 of a consented 120-acre employment site on the A50 corridor: 118 new homes and an access road

• Congleton Link Road – £80m project enabling over 3,000 homes and almost 50 acres of employment land

In our pipeline – committed resources developing our programme for growth

In addition, the Partnership is actively bringing forward a number of high priority specific projects and proposals to be submitted within the next 12 months. These will build on the projects listed above, and are in addition to the broad programme of growth initiatives described throughout this strategy, and summarised in the following pages. They include: -

• The Etruria Valley link road project in Stoke-on-Trent is moving forward, releasing wide-ranging transport benefits and accelerated delivery of key strategic housing and employment sites. The City’s Transforming Cities Fund submission will transform the sustainable transport network of the City Region, connecting key transport hubs with areas of employment.

• A business case for an enhanced HS2 Hub Station at Crewe enabling the station to drive forward Crewe regeneration

• TATA Winnington Works and Winsford Station Quarter development of business cases for infrastructure to unlock housing.

• Stafford development of a business case infrastructure to unlock a new garden settlement to the north of Stone.

• Working with CITB on skills needs assessments.

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Discussion already underway with central government

Co-ordinated across the Constellation, Partners have submitted strategic proposals, supported by business cases, for Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) and infrastructure monies to underwrite projects releasing or enabling employment and housing growth and capacity. These include:-

• The successful £10m Stoke-on-Trent HIF allocation will release 9 sites in and around Burslem and deliver 1,100 homes.

• HIF applications at Winsford Station and Wharton Green – road access and remediation works for 1600 new homes

• North West Crewe HIF application – road infrastructure to unlock capacity for over 1000 homes, and an early phase of the infrastructure to support the growth of Crewe

• A500 Major transport scheme -providing direct dual carriageway access from the Crewe Hub station to the motorway network, supporting growth around Crewe and beyond

• Stafford HIF application - 800 new homes and 750,000 sq ft of employment space as part of the Stafford Station Gateway Masterplan .

• Staffordshire Moorlands HIF bid to deliver the remaining land at Blythe Vale

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NEXT STEPS

Strategic Planning - toward alignment of policy• Deliver enabling statutory documentation for area masterplans

• Establish and put in place mechanisms to deliver our Quality of Place objectives

• Continue our work with the Department for Transport to ensure that our aspirations feature in the relevant rail franchises

Constellation Infrastructure Programme• Work with central government and HS2 Limited to deliver ‘full

specification’ HS2 services to Crewe, Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford

• Develop feasibility studies for each of the transport projects and masterplans within the Constellation Investment Programme

• Further work on prioritisation of projects, establishing the growth contribution - housing and employment - of individual investments, and their interaction

• Development of business cases and supporting transport modelling

• Develop a detailed needs assessment and approach to provision of social infrastructure

Skills and Employment Delivery• Invest in business support and training to construction sector, to fulfil

forthcoming HS2 construction demand

• Explore the potential for joint commissioning of all relevant employment and skills programmes from 2019

• Develop educational learning resources programmes

Housing Delivery • Work to agree area based delivery mechanisms

• Delivery of successful HIF bids

Investment and Funding Propositions • Continue development and refinement of total investment requirement

• Agree investments to be made through National Investment Programmes e.g. future national road and rail investment strategies and national funding initiatives such as Transforming Cities Fund

• Work with Government on obtaining powers for additional local funding models

• Develop an agreed approach to funding of social infrastructure between Government departments and Local Authorities

Constellation Partnership HS2 Growth Strategy 10 year Delivery Plan• Set out the agreed, added value, priorities of the Partnership for the next 10 years in terms of housing, employment, transport connectivity and skills

development

• To enhance the transformational potential of HS2, defining the economic benefits, as we demonstrate to the Governement that we are progressing the strategy.

Report contributorsKPMG

Mott MacDonald, CBRE, Savills

Regeneris

URBED

&

Farrells

For future information and updates, please refer to: www.constellationpartnership.gov.uk

Our Growth Strategy will:

• Drive positive change in the lives of existing residents

• Bring a confident new community and workforce to power the area’s economy

• Demonstrate to the UK how growth can be created outside the traditional hubs

• Deliver ‘good growth’ - beautifully, sustainably, inclusively and dynamically

Documents

ACCELERATED GROWTH, ACCELERATING OPPORTUNITIESconstellationpartnership.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/hs2... · Constellation Partnership 3 Growth Strategy CREATING A NEW, HIGH