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For more information about itslocal Colchester see page 40
Colchester: Ultra Ready for Business
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3
Why We’re Backing Colchester
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12
Making All the Right Connections
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14
Creating a Creative & Digital Hotspot:
Key to Placemaking in Colchester
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16
Retail Combined with Leisure:
the Future of the Town Centre
. ......................
18
Colchester Ups its Tourism Game
to Go for the Short Breaks Market
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20
Driving Growth Through the
Knowledge Economy
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22
New Sport & Leisure Gateway
to Colchester
. .................................................
24
New Homes for a Growing Population
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26
Focus on Skills: Growing Our Own
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28
Corporate Profiles
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32
Contents
The Colchester Dashboard
“If Colchester was included in England’s list
of 56 cities, it would rank as one of the most
buoyant economies... alongside places like
Cambridge, Reading and Bristol.”
Colchester, Ipswich & the Haven Gateway
sub-region: comparative analysis. Centre
for Cities 2010
Colchester:
u
is ranked 24th in the country for health
of its local economy
u
in the last decade it was the third
fastest growing city by house numbers
u
is an Historic Roman and medieval
town and in the top 100 Best Places to
Live in Britain
u
Colchester is rolling out Ultrafast
Broadband with faster speeds than
99% of the UK
u
has been recognised as an ‘engine of
growth’ and is officially defined as a
‘city region’
u
has been ranked 20th out of 47 places
in the UK for concentration and growth
of creative industries
u
has welcomed £14m improving
transport and road networks in and
around town
u
is an investment hotspot: £3bn being
invested currently