Crawley Growth Programme Prospectus

Crawley offers significant opportunity for growth:

• The second highest job density in the country outside London
• In the top ten of the most productive economies in the UK – averaging £57,000 per worker per annum of output
• Manor Royal Business District – one of the largest business districts in the country, accommodating 500 businesses and 30,000 jobs
• Contributes 25% of the economic output of West Sussex despite occupying just 2% of the land mass
• The number of jobs in Crawley has grown by 10% since 2013, double the national average.

But there are significant threats:

• Traffic congestion – Crawley attracts more than 43,000 commuters every day – the highest volume in the south east outside London. More than 80% come in by car. Manor Royal businesses are increasingly frustrated by traffic congestion, considering it as a major constraint to ongoing growth
• A lack of diversity – the town centre has not historically provided for housing need. As recently as 2014 there were just 219 housing units in the town centre. There is increasingly scarce commercial space in the town centre due to permitted development rights. This threatens footfall, economic activity and jobs.
• Commercial and housing land supply – constrained supply means that job growth has to be generated by re-using brownfield sites and intensifying existing development in the town centre and Manor Royal Business District.

The Crawley Growth Programme will achieve the critical mass of public and private investment necessary to deliver vital infrastructure improvements, which enable sustainable growth on regeneration sites in the town centre and Manor Royal Business District.

The total programme will see more than £60 million invested to support growth in Crawley.

The programme will:

• Transform the business and living environment by undertaking significant upgrades to the public realm in the town centre and Manor Royal Business District
• Deliver significant new Grade A commercial space in the town centre
• Support the delivery of high quality office and industrial space in the Manor Royal Business District
• Unlock private developer finances to pay for a brand new railway station in Crawley
• Improve significantly the quality of sustainable transport infrastructure (bus, cycle routes and pedestrian walkways) to deliver "modal shift" and alleviate congestion
• Achieve major bus, cycle and pedestrian connectivity enhancements at Crawley's three railway stations, creating brand new inter-modal transport interchanges.

The Crawley Growth programme will be delivered by a major partnership of public and private bodies, including the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership, West Sussex County Council, Crawley Borough Council, Metrobus, Gatwick Airport Limited, Manor Royal Business Improvement District (BID) Company, the Arora Group, Gatwick Diamond Initiative and Crawley Town Centre Partnership.

• Delivery of 7,000 extra jobs
• At least 135,000 square metres of new Grade A commercial space within Crawley by 2030
• At least 1,000 new homes in Crawley town centre by 2030
• Delivery of a £60 million investment programme

£14.6 million of LGF will be matched by:

• £8 million of West Sussex County Council investment
• £5.4 million of Crawley Borough Council investment
• The allocation of £2.5 million of S106 contributions to the programme
• The allocation of £1 million of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) contributions

This investment will enable the delivery of: the following infrastructure schemes and outcomes:

• The Eastern Gateway - to enable a high quality new commercial and civic zone
• Station Gateway - a transformed living environment, brand new railway station and 300+ quality residential apartments
• Queensway town centre improvements
• Investment in securing Grade A commercial space in the town centre
• Three Bridges Station enhancements
• Town centre and Manor Royal cycle improvements
• Town centre and Manor Royal bus shelters and 'superhubs'
• Manor Royal highway improvements including County Oak, London Road and Gatwick Road
• Sustainable travel mobility platform focused on Manor Royal

Delivery of a wider investment programme exceeding £28.9 million:

• £13.7 million committed by Metrobus to enhance bus infrastructure and services
• £2.8 million committed by Gatwick Airport Limited to improve the bus interchange at Gatwick Airport
• £3.1 million already committed by the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to enhance Queens Square, Haslett Avenue traffic signals and real time passenger information (RTPI)
• £1.7 million already committed by West Sussex County Council to match current Local Growth Fund allocations
• £3.3 million contribution from The Arora Group to Station Gateway improvements
• £1.2 million contribution from Surrey County Council to provide highway improvements in Manor Royal
• A total Manor Royal BID (subject to securing BID term two) investment programme of £3.1 million

Major Crawley Growth Programme projects in the town centre are:

1. Station Gateway
2. Eastern Gateway
3. Queensway
4. Queens Square

This major regeneration scheme promises to transform the Station Gateway area into an attractive, inviting and safe environment, truly reflecting the town’s opportunities as a place to live and work.

The development includes 308 high quality apartments with a new train station and plaza, full disabled access and multi-deck car park.

The plans include a new, modern station building with a new entrance, ticket hall, footbridges and multi-storey car park. The development will also have a coffee shop, retail kiosk and a small start-up business hub, all designed to support Crawley Borough Council’s ambition to create a network of business hubs and enable small and start-up enterprises in the town.

The Eastern Gateway encompasses four major opportunity sites – the Town Hall complex at the eastern end of The Boulevard, County Buildings on Northgate Avenue, Crawley College (east of the tower block) and Telford Place.

It also provides significant sustainable transport and public realm improvements to College Road, The Boulevard, Exchange Road and Southgate Avenue.

The proposals for the eastern end of The Boulevard will see the current Town Hall replaced with a new Town Hall with an additional 13,500 square feet of Grade A commercial offices, a new public square and public realm improvements. The neighbouring two-storey car park will be demolished.

The proposals also include around 275 homes in two blocks and the infrastructure for a district heating network. The Town Hall multi-storey car park will remain and will be upgraded under these proposals.

The large County Buildings site provides an opportunity for the creation of a housing, business space or mixed used development.

Work to transform Queens Square into a high quality, distinctive, adaptable and enjoyable public space is almost complete.

The transformation will help to encourage landowners and businesses to invest more in the area, acting as a catalyst for wider regeneration.

The work includes new high quality paving, new and improved lighting, new seating, new street furniture, new planting and a central focal point including an attractive plaza and decorative water feature.

The £3.2m regeneration plans are a joint project between Crawley Borough Council, West Sussex County Council and the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership.

Proposals to extend the Queens Square regeneration work along Queensway, the Pavement and Kingsgate are being developed.

Design objectives for the £2.2m scheme include a design that is cohesive with Queens Square, improved connectivity with Memorial Gardens and Queensway, a flat, accessible and attractive space and attractive lighting for safety and aesthetics.

Plans also include new seating, cycle racks, better vehicular access into Parkside Car Park, more litter bins and disabled parking bays.

Roundabout traffic flow improvements along Gatwick Road at the Manor Royal, Fleming Way and Beehive junctions have been identified, alongside sustainable transport connectivity improvements, as being critical in particular, to the regeneration viability of the new Nexus development and the Northwood Park site and the delivery of 1,600 additional jobs and 28,000 square metres of Grade A commercial space.

The above sites both have planning permission with developer contributions to the junction improvements secured through the Section 106 Agreement, and part of the site has full planning permission and is nearing completion. The Growth Programme will enable the delivery of these improvements, which will include a new bus lane and new cycle lane facilities.

These works will support the growth in the area by providing key junction improvements to traffic flows in the London Road corridor.

Works at County Oak Way and on London Road will alleviate congestion, improve pedestrian and cyclist connectivity and strengthen bus access in order to boost overall transport capacity and help to unlock regeneration at the Nova site, which has planning permission for 10,900 square metres of Grade A commercial space, yielding more than 770 jobs.

Crawley Borough Council, working with an independent cyclist consultant, has identified key cycle route improvement priorities in the town centre and Manor Royal. The council will lead on the development of designs for priority proposals. These priorities will provide:

• Improved connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists – removing physical barriers, enhancing the public realm and strengthening vital cycle links from Manor Royal to Gatwick and Three Bridges railway stations
• Improved crossing facilities at key locations.

Installation of a new bus lane on Manor Royal – this is a top priority for Metrobus to reduce journey times in the Manor Royal area.

Metrobus will also be investing in the enhancements to bus service routes 10 and 20.

Super bus hubs equipped with RTPI and Wi-Fi will be installed at the following locations:

Proposed super bus hubs will be installed at the following locations:

• Gatwick Road north southbound and north northbound
• Manor Royal west westbound and west eastbound (outside Thales offices)
• Manor Royal central westbound
• Fleming Way west eastbound (outside Virgin's the Base)

New bus shelters will be installed in:

• Gatwick Road south
• County Oak eastbound
• Napier Way
• Gatwick Manor north and south.

Installation of outdoor media to promote improved sustainable transport infrastructure in six key locations.

This is a progression of phase one of the Manor Royal wayfinding and signage project which consists of directional signs, map boards, road stands, coloured-coded zone street name signs and lamp post banners.

Phase two aims to introduce outdoor digital media advertising and information screens at various locations around Manor Royal.

The Crawley Growth Programme is a £60 million package which will unlock jobs, business space and homes.

It will deliver 7,000 extra jobs, 135,000 square metres of additional floor space and 1,000 new homes in Crawley town centre. The programme has also defined ‘stretch’ targets, subject to better than expected economic performance of up to 11,000 extra jobs, 200,000 square metres of commercial space and 2,000 new homes.

The value of the regeneration site investment, unlocked by the Crawley Growth Programme, is estimated at £750 million.

The programme will:

• Transform the business and living environment by undertaking significant upgrades to the public realm in the town centre and Manor Royal
• Deliver significant new Grade A commercial space in the town centre
• Unlock private developer finances to pay for a brand new railway station in Crawley
• Improve significantly the quality of sustainable transport infrastructure (bus, cycle routes and pedestrian walkways) to deliver “modal shift” and alleviate congestion
• Achieve major bus, cycle and pedestrian connectivity enhancements at Crawley’s three railway stations, creating brand new inter-modal transport interchanges

Key partners are:

• Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership
• West Sussex County Council
• Crawley Borough Council
• Metrobus
• Gatwick Airport Limited
• Manor Royal BID

Stakeholders are:

• Arora Group
• Gatwick Diamond Initiative
• Crawley Town Centre Partnership