Hampshire Chamber of Commerce helped create 1,000 jobs in 2011

21 Dec 11

2011 was a year in which we can proudly say were effective in several instances as the independent voice of local business in helping to quicken the pace of economic growth.

• A successful major planning application for Costco’s first warehouse club on the south coast bringing 250 jobs to Southampton was supported by the Chamber with a written submission at the Planning Meeting and in the press. Costco’s press release February 2011 said that “The substantial benefits that Costco can provide to small businesses have had very strong support from the Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, whose members are very keen to see Costco come to this area and the associated price benefits we can offer.” In December 2011 we heard that a second Costco warehouse club in Farnborough, Hampshire, which was also supported by Hampshire Chamber of Commerce at the application stage, had been granted outline planning permission.

• A Regional Growth Fund bid by Southampton City Council to government was awarded £5.5m in November 2011 for transport infrastructure improvements to access the docks, which will be of particular benefit to export trade and the cruise sector. The Chamber obtained letters of support from businesses which also detailed number of staff safeguarded and likely staff increases totalling 51 jobs, if the improvements went ahead at Platform Road. Phil Marshall, Strategic Transport Planner at Southampton City Council said “Our Platform for Prosperity Round 2 RGF bid has been successful. This is fantastic news for the city and the port. I’d just like to thank you for all your hard work pulling together support from Hampshire Chamber members.”

• Hampshire Chamber submitted a statement of support for the Arts Complex planning application which has been approved and will become the corner stone of the emerging Cultural Quarter in the city. The Chamber also lobbied the Arts Council the previous year for their contribution to the funding for the Arts Complex, which will bring more than 300 direct jobs to the city centre where they are needed.

• An appeal by Barker-Mill Estates to Test Valley Council to build a state-of-the-art private hospital on a corporate park development to serve the South Hampshire region has been successful. The change of use at Adanac Park was publicly backed by Hampshire Chamber of Commerce at the appeal hearing in October 2011 and will bring 400 jobs and £70million of investment into the local economy, as well as many indirect jobs and healthcare excellence. A planning application will be submitted in the New Year.

• Jimmy Chestnutt, Hampshire Chamber’s CEO and Chair of the UK Cruise Ports Alliance, led a very strong petition of some 12,000 signatures to Downing Street in September 2011, calling on the government to refuse the request by Liverpool to have the restrictions that were placed upon the use of its cruise terminal lifted, without repaying the whole of the £21million of taxpayers’ money that it was given to build it. The UK Cruise Ports Alliance maintained that lifting the restrictions without full repayment would create unfair competition by allowing public money to help Liverpool win business at the expense of other ports developed with private money.

We will be tackling 2012 in the same energetic way by partnership working with those who can effect positive change and we hope we can count on the support of our Hampshire Chamber of Commerce member businesses both large and small, when we ask for their views on topics of concern or interest to the business community.

If you would like to be kept up to date on this activity or become involved, please visit the freshly revamped page of our website www.hampshirechamber.co.uk under 'Policy and Representation.'

Please see links to our individual news stories and documents relating to the headlines above

Useful links

http://www.hampshirechamber.co.uk/docs/Soton%20CostcoNov10%20-ChamberFINAL%20Support%20Statemt26.11.10[1].pdf

http://www.hampshirechamber.co.uk/docs/CostcoFarnbor%20-ChamberSupportFINALJuly11[1].pdf

http://www.southamptonvs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/November-funding-bulletin.pdf

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/travel/9337033.Road_revamp_to_boost_port_growth/?action=complain&cid=9782921

http://www.bis.gov.uk/news/topstories/2011/Nov/regional-growth-fund-to-help-small-businesses

http://www.hampshirechamber.co.uk/docs/Statement%20of%20Support%20for%20Arts%20Complex.pdf

http://www.hampshirechamber.co.uk/news/All/1917