Place Audits of the retail centres in Brentwood, Shenfield and Ingatestone had been commissioned in partnership with the Brentwood Business Partnership and Brentwood Chamber. Updates had been provided to previous meetings of the Policy, Resources and Economic Development Committee.

The work was commissioned prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic and lockdown period delayed production of the work. This was due to the significant economic implications of the pandemic and need to consider these, and the need to re-prioritise the resources of the Council’s Economic Development Team toward business community support.

The final draft Place Audit study is presented to members in Appendix A of the report. It provided various recommendations for Brentwood, Shenfield and Ingatestone.

The outputs from this work would inform objectives to be set in the forthcoming Economic Development Strategy, consistent with the Council’s Corporate Strategy.

The Chair informed the committee that a workshop group will be put together with a number of relevant stakeholders to consider all the recommendations put forward and for what is best for Brentwood.  This was welcomed by a number of committee members. 

After a full discussion, Cllr Hossack MOVED and Cllr Parker SECONDED the recommendations in the report.

A vote was taken by a show of hands and it was RESOLVED.

Members are asked to:

R1. Approve that officers consider all recommendations and advise

members at a future Policy, Resources and Economic Development

Committee as to which they consider most viable and how to achieve

them, as part of preparing a new Economic Development Strategy.

R2. Approve that officers specifically consider recommendations

related to opportunities for improved marketing of Brentwood Town

Centre to benefit the local economy, and report back to members at a

future Policy, Resources and Economic Development Committee.

Reasons for Recommendation

Members were presented with the final draft version of the Place Audit to

measure performance and inform priorities for achieving economic growth in

the borough. This is in line with the Council’s Corporate Strategy priority to

grow the economy.

The lessons of working with businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic, on

projects such as Brentwood Open, reinforce the need to better promote places and businesses. The recommendations allow for more detailed work on what objectives can be progressed through the Council’s emerging Economic Development Strategy and focus on promoting Brentwood Town Centre. This would aim to benefit businesses across the borough.