Growing the economy and improving lives across the West of England

We want to transform our region.

The next decade will see the West of England change. Growth will mean more job opportunities, new homes, an injection in pace and investment in the transformation of our transport network and the strengthening of those relationships that will help us deliver.

In 10 years, the action in this strategy will deliver tangible change and improve the lives of the people who call this region home.

The West of England is where I am proud to call home. It is a place of diverse talents and communities. A place where we are pushing boundaries and shaping the future, a place bold for business and full of restless creativity. Our region is a national growth opportunity. In this new chapter, I am determined to deliver the growth we need to improve people’s lives right across the region.

Mayor Helen Godwin

Inside the Growth Plan, discover:

Image credit: Freia Turland
Drivers of growth & strong economic foundations

Our sector strengths

Image credit: The Bristol Port Company
Our places for growth
Opportunities for investment
How we will deliver

The places across our region are ready for growth

Our region is a vibrant melting pot of creativity, community, and innovation. A region with thriving urban districts, a wealth of diverse cultural opportunities, natural assets and rural landscapes that attract both new residents and visitors to the region. We’re committed to ensuring it’s a place where everyone can live well.

A network of regional growth zones will be central to our decade of growth, opening up a wealth of new opportunities for businesses and residents right across the West of England.

Map of growth zones, details below for screen readers

The West Innovation Arc

The Arc is a district focused on R&D, advanced manufacturing, innovation and security, with Brabazon at its centre. Based in South Gloucestershire, it is the fastest growing part of the regional economy and a driver of nationally significant growth.

Central Bristol & Bath

The major cities have a unique and diverse economic mix, including a thriving creative sector, internationally significant digital sector strengths and a culture that attracts visitors and new residents. With large scale development opportunities including housing growth, the cities will be engines of growth.

Severn Estuary

The Severn Estuary growth zone has industrial capacity for nuclear energy, floating offshore wind and clean energy transition at scale. Anchored by Oldbury and the Bristol Port, it combines strengths in logistics with major investment opportunities in renewable industries.

Somer Valley

The Somer Valley is evolving from its industrial past into a modern zone for rural innovation and sustainable industry. Building on its legacy in mining and engineering, it is developing into a centre for green business, community growth and landscape-led regeneration.

North Somerset Growth Gateway

The North Somerset Growth Gateway offers the dual opportunity of investment in innovative production and manufacturing, and growth opportunities in digital technology and its supply chain, stemming from the new Epic Campus.

Investment opportunities

Investing in the West of England makes sense. Every pound put into our region delivers real returns.

Future Places Fund

An opportunity to invest in a £500m fund pooling private and public sector capital to unlock land for high-quality development. It will deliver the homes and places fundamental to long-term economic growth.

Unlocking mass transit

Mass transit will be driven by devolved infrastructure funding and represents a major private sector investment opportunity. From construction to rolling stock and service provision, mass transit will generate significant returns.

Engine West

Investment opportunities to grow the West Innovation Arc as the UK’s hub for advanced engineering. The region is positioned to attract billions in private and institutional investment, sustain high-value jobs and lead in future flight, resilient space and AI-enabled engineering.

West of England AI Supercluster

Establishing the AI Supercluster will create major investment opportunities, particularly in the industrialisation of AI during phase two. Across Bristol, Bath and South Gloucestershire, new business growth will follow expanding university and industry-led R&D.

Create Growth West

Investment opportunities include the West of England Film and TV Centre, creative sector scale-up funding and support for heritage and cultural institutions. These build on the region’s fast-growing creative economy.

Clean Energy West

Significant opportunities are linked to Floating Offshore Wind and nuclear energy. Building on Hinkley’s expertise, skills, supply chain and direct investment in new energy generation will support the region’s clean energy transition.

Rural Productivity Incubator

A national testbed for rural productivity, ensuring this part of the economy grows. New businesses and construction opportunities will emerge, alongside innovation in sustainable industry.

Innovation in digital technologies, production & logistics

North Somerset offers investment in advanced production and manufacturing, and growth in digital technology and its supply chain. The new Epic Campus will anchor further innovation-led investment.

West of England Growth compared to the UK


Open the chart in a new window

Growth is not an intangible economic concept. It is about all of us – it is about our region working together for a brighter future.

Mayor Helen Godwin

Our priorities, and how we'll achieve them

  1. Launch a new Business Board to support development of regional sector plans, supporting an acceleration in growth.
  2. Publish a regularly refreshed investment prospectus detailing new investment opportunities across the region.
  3. Explore innovative ways to deliver a variety of employment spaces, and to regenerate high streets and industrial areas.
  4. Refresh our support for businesses looking to scale up.
  5. Work with Government to strengthen international trade missions, and develop national and international partnerships.
  6. Seek to agree an Innovation Deal with Government through the Local Innovation Partnership Fund.
  7. Maximise the high-growth potential of our Creative Sector with new investment to unlock potential.
  8. Deliver clearly defined pathways from education to work. Explore impact investment opportunities to unlock greater investment in the region and deliver social impact.
  9. To future proof the region, deliver the digital and utilities infrastructure we need.
  10. Support start-ups, spinouts, scaleups, and established businesses to grow locally through linking government, the MCA and the business community.
  1. Deliver a new, bold, regional transport strategy to get the West of England moving.
  2. Deliver improved buses – giving residents the bus network they deserve.
  3. Improve the suburban rail network – working with partners to deliver at pace.
  4. Finally deliver mass transit for the West of England.
  5. Make it easier to walk, wheel and cycle – working with Active Travel England and investing to do this.
  6. Invest in the local people to upskill for delivery – from construction to engineering to green energy development.
  7. Make it easier for people to travel across the network, moving between services on a single ticket and with single timetables across operators.
  8. Work with national Government and transport agencies (like the Department for Transport, Network Rail, Highways England) to ensure our transport network plans unlock the housing growth opportunities across the region.
  9. Make it easier to use public transport, offering support to people to access jobs, training and opportunities.
  10. Align our transport, housing and climate resilience plans.
  1. Establish a £500m Future Place Fund, enabling land acquisition to unlock growth opportunities.
  2. Utilise our Strategic Place Partnership to unlock our pipeline of 15,000 homes that are stalled.
  3. Deliver a Spatial Development Strategy, unlocking opportunity across the region.
  4. Explore the case for new housing delivery mechanisms such as development corporations to deliver our nationally significant new city districts.
  5. Pilot a Small Sites Accelerator in Bristol, delivering new social homes on council-owned brownfield sites.
  6. Work to set the strategic direction of the new £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme.
  7. Take an infrastructure first approach to delivering new homes, enhancing communities.
  8. Work with all stakeholders to tackle high construction costs in the region.
  9. Deliver homes and places that are low carbon, attractive, affordable to heat, well integrated with nature, and resilient to the impacts of climate change.
  10. Deliver a Local Remediation Acceleration Plan, ensuring homes with cladding are remediated as soon as possible.
  1. Develop a new regional skills strategy: delivering on the ambition of this Growth Strategy.
  2. Develop a new regional approach to support young people into high-quality education and skills pathways.
  3. Support further devolution in the skills and post 16 space to provide residents with the skills for our future regional economy.
  4. Boost skills training and employment support in the key sectors set out in our Growth Strategy.
  5. Work with Further Education Colleges and Universities to support more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into Higher Education.
  6. Continue to deliver the West of England Connect to Work and Youth Guarantee Programmes – getting more people into work.
  7. Deliver on our Get West of England Working Plan ambitions.
  8. Increase apprenticeship numbers by setting up an Apprenticeships for Growth programme.
  9. Support and work with more families in poverty to increase economic activity.
  10. Develop a network of skills academies geared to our priority sectors – linking residents to jobs.
  11. Deliver universal digital skills access and reskilling support.
  12. Build the facilities our region needs to deliver skills for the future.
  13. Work with the Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Education to identify national policy changes to deliver growth that benefits all.
  14. Work closely with employers to recruit and upskill local talent.
  1. Support Bristol Port to attract investment in the development of Floating Offshore Wind.
  2. Unlock the opportunities of tidal energy on the Severn Estuary.
  3. Continue to lead nationally in retrofit services.
  4. Support businesses to accelerate the growth of green jobs through tailored skills and training programmes.
  5. Deliver the West of England Local Industrial Decarbonisation Plan.
  6. Work to identify local solutions to grid capacity constraints.
  7. Turbo charge our clean energy industries by growing our nuclear energy capability.
  8. Further support our strong community energy sector including considering further wind turbines and rooftop solar programmes.
  9. Deliver the West of England Clean Energy Investment Plan.
  10. Grow our regional leadership in the development of innovative approaches to building resilient places.
  11. Work with partners to deliver the priorities of the region’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy, protecting natural assets.
  12. Work with partners to deliver the Bristol Avon Flood Strategy and other flood protection measures to protect our communities and businesses.
  13. Work with R&D capabilities in the region to continue to innovate for the green economy.
  1. Launch a strategy to tackle child poverty, by the end of 2025.
  2. Explore and develop social impact investment opportunities to bring new solutions to structural challenges for young people in poverty.
  3. Support more parents to work the hours they want through a renewed focus on affordable and accessible childcare.
  4. Develop a regional co-operative bank of early years workers to support the childcare industry and increase economic activity.
  5. Partner with Local Authorities, the VCSE sector, Integrated Care Boards and wider partners to improve health and wellbeing levels through identifying and tackling the wider determinants of health.
  6. Work across the region to improve access to cultural activity – especially for young people.
  7. Launch a new Social Value Framework to encourage a cross sector commitment to supporting children and young people in the region who are in poverty.
  8. Through the Youth Guarantee Trailblazer programme, strengthen our support for young people at risk of leaving education, employment or training without a clear plan for their future.
  9. Work with government to identify and make the case for national policy changes to improve lives for children and families.
  10. Commit to using all the policy levers across the region to take as many young people out of poverty as possible.

The change we will deliver

15% employment growth in our core areas of economic sector strength
72000 new jobs across a range of sectors
28% increase in GDP
7750 annual growth of homes (subject to agreement in our SDS)
45% of commuting journeys by active travel and public transport
135mw lean energy capacity installed, contributing to UK net zero
25% Decrease in young people not in employment, education or training

Contact us

If you have questions or comments about the West of England Growth Strategy, get in contact with the team at strategy@westofengland-ca.gov.uk.

Email strategy@westofengland-ca.gov.uk