Some of the North’s biggest employers and civic leaders convened at the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) this week to hear how Rotherham achieved the highest productivity growth in the North over last two decades.
Many of the North’s significant employers, civic and university leaders met at the former Orgreave site, now the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) at Waverley, to hear first-hand how Rotherham delivered its productivity turnaround and to identify the right lessons for the rest of the North: a Metro Mayor backing a proven cluster built by decades of collaboration between Rotherham and Sheffield councils, serious investment in applied research, skills and innovation and having the right type of property regeneration and development expertise that can curate and deliver the built environment to facilitate this success.
Earlier this year Rothbiz reported on the Northern Powerhouse Partnership crowning Rotherham as having the North’s fastest productivity growth of any place, according to analysis of ONS data over the last two decades. Rotherham’s productivity (GVA per hour worked) rose by 63.9% which was among the strongest gains anywhere in the UK.
This progress has been made possible by long-term partnership between Universities, the Public & Private sector and notably developers Harworth Group Plc. South Yorkshire was named as the UK's first investment zone with land on the AMP amongst the sites – built on the partnership between universities, private and the public sector. Of the council areas in South Yorkshire, Rotherham has had higher productivity growth, but Sheffield remains the most productive part of South Yorkshire in absolute terms, showing how collaboration has lifted both places rather than pitting them against each other.
At the heart of this story is the AMP, now home to world-class manufacturers and the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) as well as supporting over three hundred local SMEs with innovation and adoption. The NPP’s Board have been keen to learn from this approach and discuss how to apply it across the North.
Cllr Chris Read, Leader of Rotherham Council, said: “Rotherham’s transformation is proof of what can be achieved through long-term investment and partnership. What was once the site of Orgreave is now the UK’s first Advanced Manufacturing Park, built with the University of Sheffield, and it has helped make Rotherham the fastest-growing local economy in the North.
"With Northern Powerhouse Partnership Board meeting here today, it’s a chance to reflect on that progress and to consider what comes next. We’re pressing ahead with the biggest regeneration programme in a generation; from our town centre to new homes and business space, and plans for a new mainline station to reconnect Rotherham to the national rail network for the first time since the 1980s. With the right tools and backing, towns like ours can continue to grow and play a leading role in the North’s future.”
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Henri Murison, Chief Executive, Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “Rotherham’s turnaround shows what patient investment and partnership can deliver. The AMP has turned a site epitomising the destruction of an industry into a genuine engine of growth. This hasn’t happened in isolation, with collaboration between partners unlocking significant private investment.”
“That’s why we’re seeing Rotherham’s rapid gains while Sheffield’s strengths as a core city need to be further capitalised upon for the benefit of the whole of South Yorkshire which cannot meet its wider potential unless the city at its heart succeeds. The Metro Mayor Oliver Coppard doubling down on what has worked already is a critical signal from the public sector to unlock further private investment to the benefit of both Rotherham and Sheffield.”
Lynda Shillaw, Chief Executive, Harworth Group plc, said: “Harworth has invested in excess of £200m over more than two decades in the regeneration of the former Orgreave mine and coking works. Working alongside public sector partners, we’ve created a thriving and sustainable employment community at the Advanced Manufacturing Park and the adjacent Waverley community.
"We are pleased to welcome the Northern Powerhouse Partnership’s Board here today to highlight the role that long-term regeneration and private investment can play in driving regional growth. Our expertise as a master developer and flexible approach to funding has supported skills, jobs and opportunities for local businesses, global occupiers and higher-level academia. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with the public sector and business to accelerate delivery of jobs and growth across the UK, supporting both productivity and the country’s industrial strategy.”
Northern Powerhouse Partnership website
Harworth website
Images: JPG Group
Many of the North’s significant employers, civic and university leaders met at the former Orgreave site, now the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) at Waverley, to hear first-hand how Rotherham delivered its productivity turnaround and to identify the right lessons for the rest of the North: a Metro Mayor backing a proven cluster built by decades of collaboration between Rotherham and Sheffield councils, serious investment in applied research, skills and innovation and having the right type of property regeneration and development expertise that can curate and deliver the built environment to facilitate this success.
Earlier this year Rothbiz reported on the Northern Powerhouse Partnership crowning Rotherham as having the North’s fastest productivity growth of any place, according to analysis of ONS data over the last two decades. Rotherham’s productivity (GVA per hour worked) rose by 63.9% which was among the strongest gains anywhere in the UK.
This progress has been made possible by long-term partnership between Universities, the Public & Private sector and notably developers Harworth Group Plc. South Yorkshire was named as the UK's first investment zone with land on the AMP amongst the sites – built on the partnership between universities, private and the public sector. Of the council areas in South Yorkshire, Rotherham has had higher productivity growth, but Sheffield remains the most productive part of South Yorkshire in absolute terms, showing how collaboration has lifted both places rather than pitting them against each other.
At the heart of this story is the AMP, now home to world-class manufacturers and the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) as well as supporting over three hundred local SMEs with innovation and adoption. The NPP’s Board have been keen to learn from this approach and discuss how to apply it across the North.
Cllr Chris Read, Leader of Rotherham Council, said: “Rotherham’s transformation is proof of what can be achieved through long-term investment and partnership. What was once the site of Orgreave is now the UK’s first Advanced Manufacturing Park, built with the University of Sheffield, and it has helped make Rotherham the fastest-growing local economy in the North.
"With Northern Powerhouse Partnership Board meeting here today, it’s a chance to reflect on that progress and to consider what comes next. We’re pressing ahead with the biggest regeneration programme in a generation; from our town centre to new homes and business space, and plans for a new mainline station to reconnect Rotherham to the national rail network for the first time since the 1980s. With the right tools and backing, towns like ours can continue to grow and play a leading role in the North’s future.”
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Henri Murison, Chief Executive, Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “Rotherham’s turnaround shows what patient investment and partnership can deliver. The AMP has turned a site epitomising the destruction of an industry into a genuine engine of growth. This hasn’t happened in isolation, with collaboration between partners unlocking significant private investment.”
“That’s why we’re seeing Rotherham’s rapid gains while Sheffield’s strengths as a core city need to be further capitalised upon for the benefit of the whole of South Yorkshire which cannot meet its wider potential unless the city at its heart succeeds. The Metro Mayor Oliver Coppard doubling down on what has worked already is a critical signal from the public sector to unlock further private investment to the benefit of both Rotherham and Sheffield.”
Lynda Shillaw, Chief Executive, Harworth Group plc, said: “Harworth has invested in excess of £200m over more than two decades in the regeneration of the former Orgreave mine and coking works. Working alongside public sector partners, we’ve created a thriving and sustainable employment community at the Advanced Manufacturing Park and the adjacent Waverley community.
"We are pleased to welcome the Northern Powerhouse Partnership’s Board here today to highlight the role that long-term regeneration and private investment can play in driving regional growth. Our expertise as a master developer and flexible approach to funding has supported skills, jobs and opportunities for local businesses, global occupiers and higher-level academia. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with the public sector and business to accelerate delivery of jobs and growth across the UK, supporting both productivity and the country’s industrial strategy.”
Northern Powerhouse Partnership website
Harworth website
Images: JPG Group
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