Sheffield

A pivotal international business location

Sheffield City Region occupies a pivotal position located at the cross-point of the North-South and East-West axes.

For many decades Sheffield City Region was a major economic force in the north of England, based on two of the country's most important industries: coal and steel.

The key stakeholders believe that the City Region can again play a pre-eminent role in the national economy, in particular as part of a Leeds-Manchester-Sheffield economic core. This new economic geography is a key goal of the City Region Development Programme. 

	Vision: By 2025, Sheffield City Region will be: a pivotal international business location, one part of a dynamic connected Leeds-Manchester-Sheffield economy, recognised as one of the most successful city regions in Europe, and sustained through the strengths of its urban and rural economies.

Sheffield City Region is unique in that it spans a regional boundary, as it includes local authority areas from Yorkshire & the Humber and the East Midlands with a combined population of around 1.7 million.

It includes the major urban areas of Barnsley, Chesterfield, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield as well as a network of market towns and outstanding rural locations in the Peak District National Park and Derbyshire Dales.

Priorities and Objectives

The City Region Development Programme considers the need to identify medium and long term investments which will accelerate economic growth as well as addressing the long-term factors that have inhibited growth in recent years.

There are four key objectives for the City Region:

• Developing the Leeds-Manchester-Sheffield economic core as the engine of the northern economy
• Accelerating sustainable growth through a number of key economic drivers
• Re-establishing the main cities and towns as retail, commercial and business centres
• Addressing factors which support higher growth rates enterprise, skills, participation and inclusion, connectivity and quality of place

Accelerating economic growth: Key economic drivers

The Sheffield City Region Development Programme sets out the case for supporting key economic drivers with the potential to contribute to a consistently higher rate of economic growth and which will have an impact over the next 10-15 years.

They include capitalising on new assets, linking existing assets, making greater use of the transport investment and networks to develop high quality sites for new investment, and building upon emerging opportunities.

These drivers will make a major contribution to moving Sheffield City Region to a knowledge-based economy.

• Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield - New, commercial airport located near national road and rail networks. Considerable growth potential. Provision of a significant number of jobs on and off-site. Opportunity to reduce the number of people travelling to airports in the south
• Advanced manufacturing, universities and innovation - A significant and highly competitive advanced manufacturing sector. Forecast growth over the next ten years above the national average. Two universities plus incubation facilities critical in driving up competitiveness through innovation and commercialisation opportunities
• Growth corridors - Motorway network which sits at the heart of the national road network. Easy access across the North-South and East-West axes. Opportunity to develop the investment potential of sites along the network, close to the main towns and cities. Linking jobs and communities and providing companies with high quality locations to suit business needs. Considerable scope to secure major high quality logistics investment as well as further investment in manufacturing production
• Creative and digital industries - Fast growing creative and digital industries base. Relocation of commissioning departments of the BBC to Manchester and the location of two ITV companies in Manchester and Leeds provides an opportunity to accelerate the growth of key companies and sub-sectors
• Destination- Accessibility of urban centres to outstanding rural locations including the Peak District National Park. Opportunity to develop the visitor market through more effective marketing and infrastructure development