A new railway station, full completion of the Eastern Bay Link road, a new Business Park and a new Eastern Distribution Centre are the plans for East Cardiff laid out in Cardiff Council’s new green paper.
We all know that The ‘Diff is an awesome place to live (especially Splott, innit). But it’s not all rosy: there is a gap between rich and poor and some of Cardiff’s communities are amongst Wales’ poorest.
Cardiff Council has just issued a ‘Building More & Better Jobs’ consultation green paper stating that ‘It is imperative that we can translate our good economic performance into better outcomes for everyone in our city. In an economic climate dominated by austerity, which has hit the most vulnerable areas hardest, we have a responsibility to continue our city’s story, delivering more and better jobs for people in Cardiff and driving forward the Welsh economy.’
The consultation green paper lays out ideas for ‘building more & better jobs’ in each district of Cardiff, including our very own ‘East Cardiff’ district. Read on for more information.
But before we get into that, just to prove how awesome Cardiff is, here are some key facts from the first page of the paper:
- Cardiff is growing faster than any other UK city and has a faster growth in projected population than any of the UK Core Cities
- Cardiff has a faster jobs growth than any of the UK Core Cities – 15,000 new private sector jobs in past 2 years
- Cardiff is attracting a bigger increase in international visitors than any other city and has the fastest increase in international visitors of any UK Core City
- Cardiff has one of the UK’s most skilled workforces: 45% of the working age population have a qualification at NVQ4 or above
- Cardiff is second to none in terms of quality of life: it is the UK’s number one city for quality of life
- Cardiff has a growing reputation for world class research: Cardiff University is ranked 6th in the recent Research Excellence Framework
- Cardiff has strengths in creative industries, finance, tech and advanced manufacturing: Hub of Wales’ creative sector, and over 60,000 employed in finance, business and communications
- Cardiff is the heart of the Welsh economy with 90,000 daily commuters, and more than half of the visitors to the city region.
However, according to the green paper, there is more to do:
- Thousands of people in the city are still looking for work: almost 10,000 people are looking for work, with a 7% unemployment rate for 20-24 year olds
- Income inequality persists: the top 10% of earners bring home 3 times as much as the bottom 10%
- Productivity lags behind other cities
To achieve this, Cardiff Council has developed a ‘Spacial Strategy’ and want the views of Cardiff residents on their proposals. Each Cardiff zone has been given a different priority focus:
City Centre: Business
Cardiff Bay: Leisure
Cardiff West: Sport
Cardiff North: Innovation
And us in Cardiff East? We have Industry.
So here is it, the proposal for East Cardiff:
‘Cardiff East: Industry
Supporting the development of a new industrial zone in the east of the city will open new opportunities for those that live there, and improve access to other opportunities across the city and beyond. For too long the east of the city and its communities have not benefitted from the city’s transformation.
An Eastern Industrial Zone will also provide a greater range and choice of employment land for Cardiff. We also know that we can’t just rely on city centre opportunities for residents of Cardiff. The different options and choices that can be established by providing lower density employment opportunities will help those whose skills or experience may not match those found in a service focussed city-centre.’
But what does that actually mean? Here is the proposal up for consultation (Cardiff Council is actively ooking for people’s views on this, so please do speak up!). Details on how at the end of the article.
- A Cardiff Parkway: A new railway station in the east of the city will open up new opportunities for residents and business.
- The Eastern Bay Link: Cardiff Council will work with partners to deliver the full completion of the Eastern Bay Link.
- A new Business Park for the East: Cardiff Parkway offers a unique opportunity for prospective companies looking to invest in the UK. A new 100,000m2 business park will add an extra dimension to the Cardiff offer in terms of office supply.
- Eastern Distribution Centre: Investment in the road infrastructure, linking with the M4, will open up new opportunities for distribution. Market demand for facilities is on the rise across the UK, and it is important that Cardiff can capture any investment taking place to make sure that the people of our city benefit.
So what do you think? Is Cardiff Council missing a trick? Do you object, or have any blinding ideas that could make a difference and enhance their plans for our bit of Cardiff?
Here is the green paper in full Green Paper November 2017
Please send responses to the Green Paper to: econgreenpaper@cardiff.gov.uk
Alternatively you can write to: Economic Green Paper Economic Development Team Cardiff Council County Hall CF10 4UW