Norwich Job Growth Predicted for Office Jobs |
09 Jan 2007 |
| Better office space needs to be created in the city centre, council bosses have warned - because so many firms are abandoning it for business parks. Norwich City Council is worried an increasing amount of the city's office space is outdated and no longer fit for purpose, while very little new office space has been created. Experts fear firms are turning their backs on the city and heading for out-of-town business parks such as Broadland Business Park, leading to an increase in the number of people using their cars to get to work and contributing to congestion. Their concern is intensifying because the Government wants to see 36,000 jobs created in the city by 2021 and 1,650 new homes built every year. Most of the job growth predicted in the Norwich area is expected to be in office-type jobs, sparking concern that without proper buildings the city will not be able to create the jobs it has been ordered to. Among office space being wasted in the city is the derelict Westlegate Tower, which has been empty for more than a decade, and parts of Rose Lane Business Centre. The worries are revealed in Norwich City Council's Local Development Framework annual monitoring report, which will be discussed by members of City Hall's executive tomorrow evening. The report states: “Concern arises from the loss of office employment to peripheral business park sites. This is unsustainable, since it leads to a considerable increase in the numbers of people relying on the car to get to work. |
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