Economy, Skills and Transport
The Tunbridge Wells Sustainable Community Plan states a number of
Aims for the Borough of Tunbridge Wells in relation to its economy,
skills needs and transport infrastructure. It also states how the
Partners of the Thematic Group should Achieve these:-
Aims of the Group
To maintain the prosperity of the local economy.
To raise educational achievement across the borough and develop
the opportunities for everyone to acquire the lifetime skills needed
to find and remain in work.
To ensure that residents and visitors can get to work, school, health
and leisure facilities in Tunbridge Wells borough in a safe, convenient
and sustainable way.
We will achieve these by:
- encouraging the continued development of a wide range of
enterprises in the borough.
- enhancing the attractiveness of towns and other centres in
the borough as thriving places to visit, shop and establish new
enterprises.
- supporting the sustainable development of the more rural areas
and communities.
- Reducing traffic congestion and pollution by increasing
responsible travel options and enhancing accessibility to key
destinations.
- Pursuing improvements to key transport routes and public
transport to promote the role of the Tunbridge Wells/Tonbridge
Regional Hub, as defined in the South East Plan.
- Improving travel safety for all - in towns, villages and rural
areas.
- Improving literacy, numeracy, behaviour and school
attendance in early years, primary and secondary education,
and ensuring that collaboration between agencies continues
to improve services for those young people most at risk,
including those with additional education and welfare needs.
- Increasing the number of students leaving schools and
colleges that have skills, and academic and vocational
qualifications which meet business needs.
- Further developing the wider role of schools and colleges
within their community, and increasing their focus on
community and adult learning.
Our long-term vision for the Borough's economy, its skills needs
and helping people to get around
The Vision from the Sustainable community plan is to make sure the
Borough will:
- Be highly entrepreneurial - building on current strengths and
accommodating new businesses in appropriate growth sectors.
- Be a recognised centre for business and professional services,
a local growth sector with higher value added enterprises.
- Sustain a high quality shopping and leisure base in the towns
with a broad range of employment opportunities through regeneration
and redevelopment activities.
- Retain good market-town centres at Paddock Wood, Hawkhurst and
Cranbrook, providing employment opportunities and services for surrounding
communities.
- Have a strong and diverse rural economy, including the production
and marketing of quality food and other crops.
- Have a workforce equipped with appropriate skills to capitalise
on local employment opportunities.
- Be an area renowned for its health and education services.
- Not have significant growth in the number of jobs, but the provision
of better and more sustainable jobs in sectors and businesses with
good potential for more successful businesses.
- Retain Royal Tunbridge Wells and Southborough as pleasant places
to live,
work, shop and visit and will still be premier locations in Kent
for development of retail sites, hospitals, and residential and
other developments.
- Develop Partnerships working together to ensure that opportunities
to reduce car travel and miles are taken.
Key issues for the Economy, Skills and Transport
Thematic group
Our Economic Strategy and Transport Strategy have identified a number
of of key issues that need to be addressed in order to improve the
quality of living and working in the Borough:
- A reduction in the number of businesses operating in the land-based
sector owing to the overall long-term decline in profitability.
- The loss of major non-retail employers in Tunbridge Wells town
centre, particularly in the financial services sector.
- An increase in the number of small new businesses being established
locally, particularly in the business services sector.
- Changes in the tourism market, particularly with the availability
of cheap flights for weekend breaks as well as for longer holidays,
but also an increase in domestic short breaks.
- The loss of services and employment through the closure of post
offices, banks, pubs, etc in rural villages.
- The conversion of former employment sites and premises to housing,
in both rural and urban areas.
- Recruitment difficulties for some local employers.
- Increasing traffic congestion, particularly in and around Tunbridge
Wells town centre
- The increasing popularity of out-of-town shopping centres, eg
Bluewater, causing Tunbridge Wells town centre to suffer from fewer
long stay/high value shopping trips.
- High levels of car demand.
- Comparatively low provision and usage of public transport services.
- Poor facilities for walking, cycling and public transport.
- Congestion on routes to the town centre.
- Conflicts where traffic and local activities place different
requirements on the
available road capacity.
In addressing these issues consideration should be given to the impacts
of any strategies on five key areas:
- environmental impact - to protect the built and natural environment
- safety - to improve safety
- economy - to support sustainable economic activity and get good
value for
money
- accessibility - to improve access to facilities for those without
a car and to
reduce severance
- integration - to ensure that all decisions are taken in the context
of an integrated
Transport Strategy
Key indicators for the Economy, Skills and
Transport thematic group
NI 117 16-18 yr olds who are not in education, training or employment
(NEET)
NI 152 Working age people on out of work benefits
NI 161 Learners achieving an Entry level 1 qualification in literacy
NI162 Learners achieving an Entry level 3 qualification in numeracy
NI 163 Working age population qualified to at least level 2 or higher
NI171 New business registration rate
NI198 Children travelling to school - mode of travel usually used
NI175 Access to services and facilities by public transport, walking
and cycling
NI47 People killed or seriously injured in road traffic accidents
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