Devon County Council  - Development Plans

• M5 Junctions 29 and 30 Improvements

• Sky Park

• Science Park

The Devon Economic Partnership brings together the private and public organisations across Devon to ensure work is undertaken strategically across the County. This has produced the Devon Economic Strategy. The overriding vision enshrined in this blueprint is:

"Devon will have a dynamic, competitive and sustainable economy that builds on its strengths, promotes opportunity for all and enhances the environmental qualities of England`s greenest county."

Some of the key strategic priorities that have been identified include:

• achieving sustained investment in business infrastructure and communications
• developing and harnessing skills to achieve a competitive economy
• encouraging business start-up & growth by promoting enterprise and improving productivity through promotion of innovation & development of the knowledge economy
• developing Devon as England`s ‘greenest county`

In particular, around business infrastructure, the Strategy identifies a number of key actions:

• Develop growth points focused within the strategic corridor of Exeter-Torbay-Plymouth and the Barnstaple-Bideford axis, and manage the `ripple` effect.
• Implement a Devon employment space strategy to ensure an adequate supply of readily available employment sites and workspace, to meet the development and expansion needs of local firms and develop the economic potential of Devon to meet the needs of all parts of the county.
• Promote the further development of business incubators and grow-on space on a ‘distributed` model basis to help small businesses develop.
• Lobby for improving the strategic transport network by air, land and sea and implementing key strategic transport projects to assist county businesses to compete more effectively in the global market place.
• Improve local accessibility, particularly through greater investment in public transport.
• Continue to invest in ICT developments, infrastructure, improved understanding of the potential and support for wireless broadband initiatives in rural areas unable to access broadband via the telephone cabling network.

Planned Developments

M5 Junctions 29 and 30 Improvements

Significant improvements to J30 and J29 on the M5 to improve traffic flow and ensure good access to both existing industrial estates and the planned Skypark and Science Park developments.

Sky Park

Envisaged as a modern business park in a quality landscaped setting, the development is designed for large-scale employment with a planned mix of business, industrial and distribution usage. This flexible approach means that Skypark will be able to accommodate a wide variety of different businesses, from those looking for prestigious inward investment opportunities to smaller local and regional organisations that are in the process of expanding. As the development progresses, improvements to existing local facilities and the creation of new facilities and an infrastructure for buses, cycles and pedestrians are also planned.

Science Park

The overall vision is to create a Science Park which will be an engine for growth for knowledge-based, scientific technological, engineering and medicine (STEM) related enterprise in the region. Also to become a key location for successful science based business development combined with excellent quality of life. It will build a strong brand which projects the region`s world-leading scientific capacity and international ambition