Last Modified March 01, 2021
Why should you consider bringing your business to Hertsmere or develop your ideas here?
Because the borough...
- has significant assets
- is determined to overcome challenges
- is presented with a number of opportunities
Significant assets
- Excellent strategic location abutting London
- Direct access to motorway (M25, M1 and A1 (M)) and rail networks including an 18-minute rail journey to London St Pancras (and onward international and southern rail services)
- Excellent connections to Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted Airports.
- High quality homes and countryside, a private airfield and places of interest, making the area and attractive location to invest, live, work and learn in and to visit.
- Existing employment sites at Elstree Way, Centennial Business Park and Cranborne Road Industrial Area.
- Home to Elstree Studios, BBC Elstree and arsenal Football Club's training ground.
- Proactive council which saved Elstree Studios by acquiring and investing in the site.
- Strong socio-economic profile of the borough.
- Schools, both public and private, are some of the best in the country.
Determined to overcome challenges:
- To encourage growth which reinforces the principles of London's Green Belt whilst promoting the borough as a place to invest and do business.
- To work with the rail companies to deal with issues of overcrowded and congested trains.
- To promote infrastructure programs to deal with high levels of congestion on main transport routes.
- To find ways of opening up key employment sites in order to tackle poor access.
- To revitalise town centres in Borehamwood, Potters Bar and Bushey with a concerted and cohesive approach.
- To address poor gateways and entrances to generate a sense of place and arrival.
- To enhance those areas suffering from poor quality built environment and public realm.
- To ensure that there is access to a variety of further education provision to upskill local people whilst meeting the current and future needs of businesses.
- To tackle the pockets of deprivation characterised by low skills, high unemployment, low incomes and poorer living conditions.
Presented with a number of opportunities:
- Several development sites strategically positioned along the A1 and M25 corridors that will help achieve the economic growth ambitions of the borough and the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership.
- In particular, the borough has sites that are suited for locating niche pharmaceutical industries and major sports developments.
- A New University Technical College to help promote the creative sector and provide young people with the skills to keep Hertsmere at the cutting edge of film, television and creative media.
- The chance to capture the untapped footfall associated wit transport connectivity and the film and television industry.
- To build on the emerging evening economy.
- An enterprising dynamic local authority wiling to work in new ways and provide strong strategic and community leadership.
