Date: Tue 12th May, 2009
Venue:
The recession has not dampened enthusiasm for making the best of North Somerset. Insider’s breakfast panel debated some key challenges and opportunities.
Work recently started on the new pavilion that promises to be the crowning glory of Weston-super-Mare’s Grand Pier when it opens in 2010. And a major site for office development, Weston Gateway, is now being actively promoted by its backers, who want to build a substantial office park next to junction 21 of the M5.
One temporarily stalled project, Henry Boot’s development of the Tropicana on the seafront at Weston, has suffered at the hands of the recession, but it’s clear that the area’s ambitions and prospects for further growth remain strong in a corner of the South West that benefits from having Bristol International airport on its doorstep and the M5 as its main artery.
Against this backdrop, an audience of 100 packed out a conference room at the Winter Gardens in Weston on 12 May to engage with a panel of speakers on all things North Somerset. Themes including economic regeneration, transport, skills development, inward investment and private-public collaboration all got an airing over the course of a lively hour.
The panel consisted of: David Turner, director of development and the environment at North Somerset Council; Jonathan Jarman, director at Angus Meek Architects; Charles Walker, chairman of Somerset Industrial Association and managing director of Rapide System Supplies; and Simon Price, head of office agency at Alder King.
