Core cities survey reveals the Bristol’s challenge
02 November 2006
Bristol is expensive for homes and industrial space, cheaper for city-centre shops, but lacks vision and transport solutions! Whilst Cardiff has “got its act together” to attract new business
Ned Cussen, Development Partner at King Sturge in Bristol
A unique survey of the Government’s eight Core Cities in England has spotlighted the strengths and weaknesses of Bristol to compete for new jobs and investment.
The survey reveals that other cities have a clearer vision of their future and more co-ordinated plans to attract jobs and deliver transport solutions.
These are among the top-line findings of a survey of all eight Core Cities in England by international property consultants, King Sturge, which has offices in each city.
The Core Cities are Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, and Sheffield. The Government’s latest Core Cities conference was hosted in Bristol, and attended by Secretary of State, Ruth Kelly.
According to Ned Cussen, Development Partner at King Sturge in Bristol: “In many ways, all eight Core Cities are in competition.
“Right now, the Government’s Lyons Review means that 20,000 civil service jobs will be relocated from London. Our survey shows that, while Manchester, Liverpool, and Birmingham have a defined strategy and action plan to capture those jobs, Bristol merely hopes to get some of them.
“Equally, while Liverpool, Manchester, and Nottingham have clear visions for their future, shared by both public and private sectors, this is only partially true of Bristol”, said Mr Cussen.
According to Dr Angus McIntosh, national head of research at King Sturge, Bristol should be even more concerned about a near-neighbour that does not feature on the list of eight English Core Cities.
“Cardiff, with the backing of the Welsh Assembly Government, has developed a strategy for development and attracting inward investment, including those Government relocations”, said Dr McIntosh.
The King Sturge survey reveals that there are few differences between England’s eight Core Cities on issues of salaries and property costs for business.
“Bristol does emerge as the most expensive, alongside Manchester, for a modern city-centre two-bedroom apartment (£250,000 to £350,000), and the most expensive for prime industrial rents (£7.25 per ft²)”, Ned Cussen points out.
“City centre shopping rents in Bristol, on the other hand, are the cheapest of the eight Core Cities, at less than £200 per square foot: but this is likely to change with the completion of the current redevelopment of Broadmead”, he added.
But the biggest lesson for Bristol, from this inter-city survey, is the need for a clear vision for the future, and a co-ordinated campaign to attract new skills and jobs.
“In truth, Bristol is being transformed and has a booming opportunity: but the city needs to match our competitors in having a shared vision, and a shared energy in winning the best of those Government relocations. Maybe our local politicians should be studying what Cardiff is doing to achieve such a massive turn-around”, said Mr Cussen.
Every one of England’s eight Core Cities reports that the biggest driver of increased inner-city living has been the boom in “buy-to-let” investors.
When it comes to inter-city competition for new jobs, the survey suggests that Leeds and Newcastle may be better-placed than Bristol. Both cities have more than 300,000 square feet of office space in major buildings for new business occupiers. Bristol currently has less.
Six of the eight Core Cities, including Bristol, do not have a plan to deliver adequate traffic and transport solutions for employers. According to the King Sturge survey, however, Manchester and Nottingham have convinced local employers that they do have a planned solution.
“This is a crucial factor for any city wanting to attract new employers or retain existing companies”, said Ned Cussen.
“Bristol is one of only three English Core Cities that had to tick the ‘no’ box about having or planning a tram or rapid-transit system. Like Liverpool, Bristol had secured Government funding for a tram system, but it was then lost”, Mr Cussen explained.
“There is no doubt that provision of better public transport, alongside growing restrictions on traffic and parking, is a crucial issue for Bristol’s competitive position”, he added.
The King Sturge survey showed, however, that none of England’s Core Cities have seen a marked switch from cars to public transport, irrespective of whether they have tram systems.
The inter-city survey also examined the degree to which Core City councils engage with their local business community.
While Birmingham, Manchester, and Newcastle all have a policy of regular dialogue with local employers, Bristol shared with Sheffield, Liverpool, and Nottingham the verdict of only having occasional meetings between city politicians and major employers – driven by the employers.
“This is an issue that King Sturge has been eager to address in Bristol”, said Ned Cussen. “Over the past two years, we have hosted meetings between the biggest employers and the city council because this is a crucial partnership for any city”, he added.
