Campaign aims to attract businesses to Devon

A dedicated website has been launched to support a campaign to attract businesses to Devon.

Devon Delivers is aiming to encourage companies to move to the county to be part of the next chapter of Devon’s economic success story.

Following on from last year’s awareness raising campaign, Devon County Council has developed the new website for Devon Delivers, www.investdevon.co.uk, designed to make relocation as straight-forward as possible. A relocation manager will also be on hand with advice, information and access to valuable business connections.

Devon’s economy is the largest in the South West, worth more than £18 Billion, and the county is well-prepared for further economic growth. Over the past decade, the county’s economy has grown at a much faster rate than the national average, expanding by 67%.

Several major projects are underway across the county to ensure Devon emerges from the recession with a stronger economy.

The County Council has been developing the major infrastructure works for The Exeter and East Devon Growth Point. This includes the key strategic employment sites of Exeter Science Park and Skypark, which are expected to create more than 10,000 jobs and generate around £450 million in private sector investment. The County Council’s planning application for the flagship £7 million Science Park Centre has also been agreed.

Devon County Council and Torbay Council successfully secured £76 million from Government towards the £109 million South Devon Link Road scheme, which will be open to traffic in late 2015. It will be a major boost to the economy of South Devon, improving business access, and creating the potential to support the generation of up to 7,000 extra jobs.

In the west of the county, the County Council has purchased the Opportunity Okehampton employment site to help stimulate growth and employment in the area.

A network of work hubs is also being developed to offer low cost, high quality spaces to support people who operate businesses from home, with the opportunity of networking and business support.

Broadband is set to be upgraded across Devon. The Connecting Devon and Somerset project has secured £32 million of Broadband Delivery UK funding, in addition to £20million from the two counties ensuring most businesses and communities have access to superfast broadband by 2015.

All of this investment is providing the opportunity to create more skilled jobs in the area, and Devon County Council is now aiming to attract businesses to be part of the county economy’s continuing growth.

Councillor Will Mumford, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Economy, Enterprise, Employment and European issues, said: “There are already impressive world-class and UK-leading businesses operating in Devon, and we’re fortunate to have some extremely innovative businesses in our county.

“Devon has the biggest economy in the region and the right infrastructure is in place for further business growth. This is being made possible through the important upgrade of M5 Junction 29 and roads accessing the Exeter and East Devon Growth Point, improving links for all forms of transport, and of course, work has now started on the South Devon Link Road.

“The future for business in the county is also about working smarter and to benefit firms in rural parts of the county we have a £50 million-plus injection to improve broadband speeds.

“With the investment being made in Devon, this is an exciting time for new firms and entrepreneurs to be part of our future growth. We believe that re-locating to Devon is not only a good business move but is also a good move for staff; providing employees with a better work/life balance, which is something that we all strive for. Most importantly, companies, whether new or established, can be part of the future growth of the county and enjoy the possibility of their business growing with that.”

Devon Delivers is aiming to help other businesses make the most of what Devon has to offer. As part of the campaign, successful and innovative businesses based in Devon are highlighting how and why they are thriving in the county.

For more information go to www.investdevon.co.uk