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Runnymede at Work

Fit for Business
Runnymede has a strong local economic base with a vibrant business community. There are three separate town centres, in Addlestone, Chertsey and Egham and a number of smaller village centres. The local economy, in common with the rest of Surrey, is dominated by the service sector which employs some 86% of the workforce. Small businesses thrive, over 70% of local employers have 10 or fewer employees, and there is a high level of business start-ups. At the other end of the scale, the Borough is also home to the company headquarters or major offices of leading names such as Procter and Gamble, Electronic Arts, Kerry Foods, Samsung Electrics and ADP.

Runnymede has become a major location for knowledge based sectors including information technology, telecommunications and advanced business services. This trend has been assisted with the recent completion of major office developments within the Chertsey Revitalisation Area and at the Hillswood Business Park. Local businesses also provide services in the distribution, catering, health, education and financial sectors. Farming, equestrian and market gardening activities flourish in rural areas. Unemployment is consistently amongst the lowest in the country, normally below 1%, while both weekly earnings and housing costs are substantially above the national average.

The healthy local economy can be attributed to a range of factors: a highly skilled workforce, high levels of disposable income and excellent communications, being situated to the west of London, close to Heathrow and with direct access to the M3 and M25 motorways. It is hoped that this will be further improved by a high quality rail service (known as ‘Airtrack’) through Runnymede linking Heathrow with Woking, Guildford and Reading. The Borough Council is working to ensure that this will provide a service from one or more of the local stations.

There are numerous trading estates and business parks of various sizes within the Borough. The Weybridge Business Park and Bourne Business Park are located in Hamm Moor Lane, Addlestone and house many firms specialising in IT, manufacturing, distribution and repair. Aviator Park is a recent business development providing high specification office accommodation on the former Marconi works site.

Chertsey offers several recently constructed office developments, built as part of a large scale revitalisation project. Trading estates in the town include the Chertsey Bridge Estate, Fordwater Trading Estate, Gogmore Lane (offices) and Hanworth Lane Business Park. There is also the aforementioned Hillswood Business Park which is home to a number of leading IT and electronics companies. Of a rather more longstanding nature, Chertsey Market has been held in London Street since the grant of a Royal Charter in 1135.

In Egham, the Causeway (including the Green Business Centre) is home to numerous software companies, manufacturers and distributors. There is also the smaller Pine Tree Business Park on Chertsey Lane and the River’s Edge industrial park on River Park Avenue as well as an industrial estate at nearby Thorpe. Other centres of significant employment growth adjoining the Borough include Staines, Brooklands (Weybridge), Heathrow and Woking.

Conference and other business support services are provided by local hotels. Those with four star status include the Runnymede Hotel and Spa (Egham), Great Fosters (Egham), Savill Court (Englefield Green) and Foxhills (Ottershaw). The Wentworth Club (Virginia Water) and Royal Holloway University of London also provide conference facilities and accommodation. There is a good range of restaurants and smaller high quality hostelries including wine bars and country pubs.

Runnymede Business Partnership

One of the keys to the economic success of the Borough is the Runnymede Business Partnership. The Partnership, established in 1998, brings together the Borough Council, the local business community, the Chambers of Commerce, colleges, schools and the police in order to tackle issues affecting businesses across Runnymede.

The partnership has led innovative solutions to assist business and the environment by reducing peak hour congestion on the busy local road network. Efforts have been concentrated on cutting the number of school and business journeys made by car. Runnymede was the first Borough in the country to introduce American style yellow school buses. Seven vehicles serve more than 500 pupils daily at four local secondary schools. The service has proved enormously popular both with pupils and parents and has eased pressure on the ‘school run’. Some 750 spaces have also been provided in cycle shelters at schools across the Borough. Meanwhile, major local employers are assisted in the development of their own strategies to encourage their staff to adopt other modes of travel to work.

The Partnership’s extensive range of initiatives also includes a Loyalty Card Scheme which offers discounts in a wide range of local shops, restaurants and other outlets. Regular breakfast forums, seminars and social events keep the business community in touch with the latest developments and best practice, as well as offering that all important opportunity to network!