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Gravity congratulates Bounce Forward on its partnership with the Harry Kane Foundation

16th October 202312th October 2023 by Rob Stevens

Gravity congratulates Bounce Forward on its partnership announcement with The Harry Kane Foundation

This is Gravity is proud to share the World Mental Health Day announcement that Bounce Forward has entered a far-reaching partnership with the Harry Kane Foundation. Their shared mission is to inspire and transform a generation’s thinking about mental health and how to nurture and build psychological fitness.

The partnership will provide free psychological fitness training and educational resources, designed to nurture and build mental resilience, and emotional wellbeing, proven to have a positive impact. These resources will be available in schools, workplaces, and to a broader audience through Harry’s influence, platforms, and networks, with the goal of promoting positive mental health across generations.

The partnership kicks off with 17 schools across nine regions in England gaining access to Bounce Forward’s Healthy Minds teaching resources, featuring bespoke content co-authored by Harry and his wife, Kate Kane.

Gravity introduced Bounce Forward to Bridgwater in 2021 as an integrated part of its transformational strategy to create a new era of employment. During the pandemic, Gravity worked with Bounce Forward to support local schools and young people and initiated a ‘Gravity Young People’s Design Competition’ in collaboration with MOBIE.

To date, Bounce Forward has trained 229 teachers across 10 schools, including; Bridgwater & Taunton College, Bridgwater & Taunton College Academy, Quantock Education Trust (4 schools), Puriton Primary, North Petherton Primary, Willowdown, North Newton Community Primary. Bounce Forward has also reached 215 local families through their ‘Raise Resilience’ online course.

In parallel with Bounce Forward, Gravity is driving further social value outcomes through its ‘Sphero’ initiative with Bridgwater United Football Club (BUFC) Community Trust, promoting STEM opportunities by using football as a medium to develop skills in coding and robotics.

Bridgwater and Taunton College Trust is one of the 17 schools involved from the outset of the Bounce Forward & Harry Kane Foundation partnership, it is the only Multi-Academy Trust at launch. Bounce Forward will work with all 6 schools within the trust (3 secondaries and 3 primaries) through a central strategy.

Gravity looks forward to exploring how our community stakeholders can achieve the optimum outcomes for young people through these exciting initiatives with Bounce Forward and BUFC.

This is Gravity, Director – Planning & Economic Development, Claire Pearce commented: “This announcement is a huge step forward for Bounce Forward and with a supportive institution such as the Harry Kane Foundation I’m sure that it will enable them to reach more young people and help equip them with skills needed to live happier healthier lives, the whole team at Gravity couldn’t be more pleased for them.

To have a local trust included in their launch given our introduction into their area is a huge boost and look forward to seeing what other initiatives local schools can be part of going forward.

Ensuring local young talent develops in a secure and nurturing environment that stimulates emotionally intelligent adults will be part of jigsaw of the requirements for a fulfilled and productive workforce at Gravity for years to come.”

Clare Lewis, Personal Development Lead at Bridgwater & Taunton Trust commented: “Healthy Minds will become an integral part of our Personal Development programme as we build our student’s confidence, resilience and knowledge so that they can keep themselves mentally healthy. The Bounce Forward programme will help to facilitate the development of skills and qualities that will enable our students to become independent and thrive in society.”

Bounce Forward CEO, Lucy Bailey commented: “When it comes to mental health, prevention is so much better than cure, and our psychological health is as important as physical health. It is increasingly challenging to navigate our changing and complex world. For adults, it is hard, for children it is even harder. We need to teach our children, as part of their core education, and there is no better way than with Healthy Minds. Teaching our children about the brain, the role of positive emotions and the value of optimism and human connection is vital learning for the world we live in. We need to help young people not only to deal well with the setbacks they will inevitably face throughout life, but also equip them to embrace opportunities around them. Its impressive evidence base includes improving attendance, which is of growing concern for schools reducing fixed term exclusions as well as improving health and wellbeing outcomes.”

Harry Kane commented: “I’m proud of the work my foundation has achieved over the last year and am excited that we will extend our reach and impact through a new partnership with Bounce Forward. Kate and I have worked closely with Bounce Forward to strengthen their curriculum. Together we have designed lesson plans that support young people to explore how resilience can help them recover from setbacks, deal with challenges and make the most of opportunities. We are supporting Bounce Forward because they are experts in their field and have developed evidence-based resources that align perfectly with our aim of promoting the benefits of positive self-belief and the connection between physical and mental health.”

Somerset Lord Lieutenancy visits Gravity Smart Campus

13th September 202311th September 2023 by Rob Stevens

SOMERSET 6 September – The Gravity Smart Campus was pleased to welcome Somerset’s Lord Lieutenant, Mohammed Saddiq, Vice-Lord Lieutenant, Edward (Ted) Allen and Deputy Lieutenants Denis Burn and Martin Thatcher on their fact-finding visit to Gravity.

The Gravity team, accompanied by representatives from Stantec, Bridgwater & Taunton College and Bridgwater United Sports Community Trust welcomed the Lord Lieutenant before providing strategic updates on the progress made on site to date as well as a guided tour of the 616-acre Enterprise Zone.

Conversations on sustainability, workforce development, social value initiatives and legacy opportunities beyond Hinkley Point C were at the forefront of the visit. Gravity’s low-carbon journey was highlighted by its material management strategy which prioritises re-use, recycling and re-purposing which has significantly reduced the requirement of imported quarried stone.

Andy Berry & Simon Brewer from Bridgwater & Taunton College discussed the college’s infrastructure and their role in the strategic development of new education pathways that would lead local students into jobs at Gravity.

The Lord Lieutenant was involved in a live demonstration of the huge popular Gravity Sphero initiative from Bridgwater United Community Sports Trust, which is has engaged with over 500 local young people since its launch in 2022. This was followed by an introduction into Stantec’s STEM outreach programme which uses Gravity ‘Green Bridge’ as an example to engage children across the key stages about the principles of engineering.

Somerset Larder was in attendance, demonstrating the value of legacy business opportunities beyond Hinkley Point C.

Gravity Director – Planning & Economic Development Claire Pearce commented: “The team was thrilled with the opportunity to host the Somerset Lord Lieutenancy; it was a perfect opportunity to demonstrate the breadth of work that has been undertaken in preparing Gravity to attract large-scale occupiers and specifically showcase the social value initiatives underway in collaboration with our local stakeholders and communities.

We would like to thank the Somerset Lieutenancy for taking the time to visit our site and our consultants and partners who are committed to delivering our respective ESG ambitions on the ground and who made the visit such a success.”

Somerset Lord Lieutenant, Mohammed Saddiq commented: “A wonderful visit that left me inspired and informed about the remarkable sustainability ambitions for the Gravity site. The visit reinforced my belief in the power of sustainable initiatives and their potential to help grow the local economy.”

About Somerset Lord Lieutenancy

The Lord-Lieutenant and all Deputies are volunteers and the titles are honorary. Aside from royal duties, Lord-Lieutenants promote and encourage voluntary and charitable organisations and take an interest in the business, urban and rural and social life of the county. They have wide discretion in how they carry out their tasks and also in those they choose to undertake.

As the sovereign’s representative in his or her area, the Lord-Lieutenant remains non-political and does not hold office in any political party. It is their foremost duty to uphold the dignity of the Crown. In so doing, they seek to promote a spirit of co-operation and good atmosphere by supporting voluntary and benevolent organisations and by the interest they take in all aspects of business and social life of their counties.

About Gravity

Gravity will be the UK’s first commercial smart campus and a blueprint for a ‘cleaner’, smarter future. It aims to attract the world’s most innovative companies working in the ‘clean growth’ sectors.

Expected to create up to 7,500 jobs, the 616-acre Enterprise Zone will be designed to shape connections between people and the places in which they work, supporting a culture of innovation and wellbeing. It will include diverse, flexible workspaces and resilient technologies along with enhanced transport links to, and within, the surrounding area.

Gravity Smart Campus honoured at the Planning Awards 2023

13th June 2023 by Rob Stevens

The Gravity Smart Campus, a 616-acre enterprise zone expected to generate up to 7,500 jobs, has been recognised at the 2023 National Planning Awards. The awarding ceremony, in its ninth year, was hosted at the renowned IET Savoy Place on June 8^th.

This is Gravity Ltd, supported by consultants Stantec and the wider team received a Highly Commended commendation for the Gravity Local Development Order (LDO) under two critical categories:

Planning Permission of the Year Award
Promoting Economic Growth Award

These commendations highlighted the design, development of the planning application, and the successful adoption of the Gravity LDO, enabling strategic outcomes for the UK as well as local communities.

The LDO serves as a potent marketing instrument, attracting international inward investment and high-paying jobs, new supply chain opportunities, all underpinned with world-class training and education. Moreover, the adaptive planning framework facilitates the delivery of custom occupier requirements within set strategic and flexible parameters.

This is Gravity also extended heartfelt congratulations to Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP for their distinguished Planning Award accomplishments. The firm clinched the ‘Planning Law Firm of the Year Award’, a testament to their outstanding legal contributions to the Gravity LDO and Compulsory Purchase Order, as well as other significant planning projects for other clients.

The judges commented, “…The scope of legal work and the complexities involved across these high-profile projects is genuinely astounding.”

Claire Pearce, This is Gravity’s Director – Planning & Economic Development, said, “We are delighted to have received ‘Highly Commended’ recognition from the Planning Awards 2023 in these two vital categories, especially amidst such strong competition. This is Gravity wish to extend sincere thanks to all who played a role in the development and adoption of the Gravity LDO. The process required vision, leadership, robust evidence, innovated assessment tools and multi-disciplinary team work to shape solutions to regenerate and transform a contaminated site into a transformational opportunity”.

We strongly believe that the major, international, advanced manufacturers we are currently engaging with, would be less likely to establish their operations at Gravity in the South West of the UK, had it not been for the adoption of the Gravity LDO by the progressive local authority, the former Sedgemoor District Council (now Somerset Council).”

About Gravity

Gravity Green Bridge Shortlisted for Best Project at RTPI South West Awards

18th May 202318th May 2023 by Rob Stevens

This is Gravity Ltd is proud to share that the Gravity ‘Green Bridge‘ has been shortlisted for the ‘Best Project’ award at that the Royal Town Planning Institute South West Awards for Planning Excellence 2023.

The wider Gravity team including Stantec, The Richards Partnership, LDA Design, Ecology Solutions and Alun Griffiths Contractors who worked together to plan and deliver this unique piece of highway infrastructure are eagerly awaiting the announcement of the winners.

The Gravity Green Bridge is up against for the ‘Best Project’ Award:

Les Quennevais Skatepark
Hall for Cornwall (Truro)
Water Lane Smart Grid and Storage Project

The RTPI South West Award ceremony for Winners and Commendations will take place on July 3rd at the Somerset County Cricket Ground in Taunton. All the South West Regional Awards local winning entries will be put forward for the national awards. The national shortlist will be announced on 9 October.

Further information

Tickets for the July 3rd can be found here.
Read the RTPI South West Awards press release here.
Click here to watch the ‘Green Bridge’ and ‘Enterprise Way’ road scheme come to life.

Gravity, @Stantec and the wider team are thrilled to have the #GravityGreenBridge shortlisted for ‘Best Project’ at the @RTPISouthWest Awards for Planning Excellence 2023.https://t.co/ArUFpZiLsU pic.twitter.com/h0561JT7gO
— _thisisgravity (@_thisisgravity) May 18, 2023

Gravity and other transformational South West opportunities are to be shared at this year’s UKREiiF

10th May 202328th April 2023 by Rob Stevens

The Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) will be promoting Gravity and other transformational opportunities to investors at the national investment and infrastructure forum, UKREiiF, in Leeds on 16th – 18th May.

The annual forum is designed to attract inward investment, generate economic growth, and drive a more sustainable and inclusive culture within the property and construction industries.

The Heart of the South West LEP will be attending the show to highlight the South West’s key aviation, maritime and business investment opportunities.

David Ralph, Chief Executive of the Heart of the South West LEP, said: “We’re looking forward to presenting a number of transformational opportunities to investors at this year’s UKREiiF, from our world-leading aviation test zone, to our new Freeport. Our region offers a fantastic place to develop new and emerging technologies and businesses, with strengths in marine, data science, aerospace, clean energy, photonics, agriculture, defence and many more.”

Opportunities being presented at the event include the South West’s Future Aviation Test Zone, Smart Sound Plymouth, the new Plymouth and South Devon Freeport and Gravity, the UK’s first smart campus.

Located over 600 acres in Somerset, Gravity is one of the largest oven-ready sites in the UK. With direct access to the M5, international airports, freight and rail terminals, this Enterprise Zone offers unique flexibility for forward-thinking companies.

Claire Pearce, Director of Planning & Economic Development at Gravity, said: “Gravity is geared to hosting international investment for UK plc, enabling a transformational step change in the transport decarbonisation efforts. Driven by a clean and inclusive growth vision, the Gravity Smart Campus will create up to 7,500 high-value jobs in a future-facing industry, stimulating economic restructuring and supply chain development. A Local Development Order has enabled us to provide both the scale and flexibility to host a gigafactory – one of 5 needed before 2030 to electrify the UK. We are excited to see how Gravity will act as a catalyst for wider economic renewal and the transition to Net Zero.”

Find out more about UKREiiF: https://www.ukreiif.com/

Find out more about the Heart of the South West LEP: https://heartofswlep.co.uk/

Read the full press release here.

ENDS

About The Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership
The Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership – covering Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay – is one of the 38 LEPs in England. The Heart of the South West LEP is a business-led partnership between the private sector, local authorities, universities and colleges.

About Gravity

March 2023 Newsletter

15th November 202331st March 2023 by Rob Stevens

March 2023 Newsletter Highlights

Local Skills Improvement Plan
Gravity Sphero STEM initiative
Stantec STEM promotion in local schools
Quantock Education Trust
Bristol Bordeaux Trade Delegation
FSB Sustainability Achievement Award
Panel on the future of the South West’s economy
Great South West Partnership events
Gravity on Digital Somerset podcast
Puriton Park playground open to the public
Gravity receives Bat House built by local college students

Local Skills Improvement Plan

Gravity was pleased to attend the launch event for the Local Skills Improvement Plan with the Somerset Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Skills will be a vital part of workforce development to meet future occupier needs. Working closely with Bridgwater and Taunton College, and wider partners, Gravity has inputted into the plan development process to ensure we promote international investment in Somerset, to connect training and employment opportunities to local businesses and communities.

Following on from our work with Bounce Forward – teaching and providing support on emotional resilience in schools – and the design competition with MOBIE to seek out creativity and talent in design, Gravity is delighted to now be working on a new skills initiative.

Gravity Sphero STEM initiative reaches over 500 local children in Bridgwater

Gravity is proud to share that within two school terms since its launch, the Gravity Sphero STEM initiative has reached over 500 children and young people in Bridgwater, delivered through Bridgwater United Community Trust.

Weekly sessions are delivered in Woolavington, East Huntspill and the surrounding areas, across term-time school deliveries, afterschool clubs and various holiday camps.

Gravity consultant, Stantec has been reaching into local schools as part of their environmental and social governance commitment. Stantec are introducing children at Northgate and Willowdown Primary Schools to the opportunities of engineering, through its Lego Bridge Building activity. This mirrors and translates the Gravity ‘green bridge’ into a school environment to connect children into the built environment and stimulate interest in potential future careers.

Stantec’s team were impressed by the year 3 students’ enthusiasm. The teams started thinking about the wider engineering design, for example, lighting, safety and amenity.

Stantec is delighted to have been invited back to run the activity again for years 3-6 for Northgate Primary School.

Miss Bailey: “Thank you so much for such a fantastic afternoon yesterday! The children absolutely loved it and learned lots too. I think we might have some budding engineers in our class now! “

Bounce Forward furthers positive impact with Quantock Education Trust INSET day

Bounce Forward, the UK-based education charity that Gravity introduced to local schools in 2021 to deliver its evidence-backed resilience curriculum is continuing to have a positive impact locally. In February, Bounce Forward hosted an INSET DAY programme for the Quantock Education Trust- the day was a space for discussion and exploring shared values as a team.

The session was designed to help build a sense of belonging, showing trust and care for each member of staff. Ideas shared on the day would be useful personally and encourage a shared language framework for problem-solving. This could then be applied as staff engage with each other, with students and with parents. The programme received hugely positive feedback from attendees. Learn more about the day and Bounce Forward by visiting the link below.

Bounce Forward case study

Claire Pearce attends trade delegation as part of the 75th-anniversary twinning of Bristol with Bordeaux

As part of our Business Charter, Gravity is committed to championing the South West, promoting economic development opportunities and accelerating progress on sustainability and climate adaption.

In February, our Director of Planning & Economic Development, Claire Pearce met a Bordeaux Trade Delegation hosted by Business West. This was part of a wider visit celebrating the 75th anniversary of the twinning between Bristol and Bordeaux. An MoU was signed between the University of Bristol and the University of Bordeaux.

This was the first visit to Bristol by Bordeaux officials with the aim of sharing learning on issues of mutual interest specifically in relation to climate change and clean growth; to strengthen existing ties e.g., between the two universities, and to explore future collaboration around trade, investment and community links.

Gravity awards Feritech Ltd with Sustainability Achievement Award

For the third year in a row, Gravity sponsored the ‘Sustainability Achievement Award’ for the Federation of Small Businesses South West.

This year our Programme Director, Paul Lowndes, awarded it to Feritech Limited, a Cornwall-based engineering and technology company for their holistic approach to the development of their £3m purpose-built Innovation Center.

Our Director of Planning & Economic Development Claire Pearce was invited to be a panelist to participate in the discussion ‘What lies ahead for the South West’s Economy?’ hosted by The Business Desk. This was their first-panel discussion for the region.

The panel discussed what sets the South West apart, what could be done to make it easier for businesses to prosper, the challenges facing firms when it comes to employing the very best talent and what needs to be done to make the region even more attractive to investors. The panel consisted of representatives from Western Gateway, Saffery Champness, Womble Dickinson Bond and Marsh Commercial.

Learn more about Business Desk here.

Great South West Partnership events

The Great South West Partnership will be running a series of local launch events over the next 6 months or so across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset to share the Great South West’s emerging ambitions and priorities for the region. The first event was hosted in Taunton, Somerset on 29 March. Over the coming months, events will also be held in Cornwall, Devon, and Dorset.

For more information on the events, click here.

Paul Lowndes discusses Gravity’s digital connectivity on Digital Somerset Podcast

Gravity Programme Director, Paul Lowndes was invited to speak on Digital Somerset’s podcast where he discusses how central ‘digital’ is to the development, Paul explains how digital technologies are enabling Gravity to accurately monitor its sustainability journey. Aspects monitored include the amount of imported recycled stone from National Grid T-pylon sites and the LiDAR drone scans of the site tracking exactly where that stone has been placed.

Paul also detailed the benefits of Gravity’s digital connectivity, through its resilient Dark Fibre supply and the recent 5G Logistics test bed that directly connects Gravity to Bristol Port.

Full interview found here.

Gravity’s funding enables Puriton park playground open to the public

Gravity has been pleased to work with Sedgemoor District Council to fund the delivery of a new and improved local play area for Purtion Park, located on Manse Lane. The new playground opened to the public on Friday 17th March. It consists of a bespoke play tower with a slide that can accommodate 24 children aged 2 and up, with an additional 3m x 1m trampoline suitable for all abilities and accommodates a wheelchair.

Aligned with Gravity’s ambition for clean growth and its commitment to environmental and social governance, sustainably sourced materials for the playground were a priority, the dark teal panels and posts were made from 100% post-consumer ocean recycled waste and 100% recycled textiles respectively.

Gravity worked in close partnership with Puriton Parish Council and Sedgemoor District Council to make this community asset a reality. This is part of Gravity’s ongoing commitment to creating social value locally, ensuring that our legacy initiative to replace and enhance children’s play equipment beyond the existing 37 Club.

As a next step on legacy delivery, our consultants Keystone have kindly volunteered to help Puriton Parish Council to clear land for the new assault course. With further Gravity funding to match other local resources, the Parish will now be able to commission this new facility for older children.

Local college built Bat House delivered to Gravity

Last month Gravity took delivery of a new Bat House which was built in partnership with Bridgwater & Taunton College (BTC) and our Ecology Clerk of Works, Ecology Solutions.

BTC students on Construction programmes at the Taunton campus constructed the Bat-house and their Welding students on an ECITB Welding Scholarship manufactured the steel frame to make it transportable and mobile. The guide specification and further expert support was supplied by Ecology Solutions.

Having real projects for students to work on gives them a great sense of achievement and participation in the local community, as well as a chance to test out their newly acquired skills.

The Bat House is designed to provide a safe and secure habitat for the bats and ensures that this important species can continue to thrive in the local ecosystem

Gravity Link Road receives new build prize at ICE South West Civil Engineering Awards

23rd January 202322nd December 2022 by Rob Stevens

The Gravity Link Road off Junction 23 of the M5, has won the New Build Project over £8 million category at the ICE South West Civil Engineering Awards. The awards, held by the Institution of Civil Engineers, showcase the collective and individual achievements of civil engineering in the region.

The scheme, designed in partnership with Stantec – global leaders in sustainable design and engineering, contractors Alun Griffiths and landscape architects, The Richards Partnership, provides a gateway to the state-of-the-art Gravity smart campus. This site is a 616-acre commercial innovation campus expected to create up to 7,500 jobs.

Gravity’s rural location adjacent to existing villages meant that local infrastructure wasn’t supportive for access to the innovation campus – through construction or into operation. Through consultation, the project team identified the need to retain public rights of way, enhance the local setting, and mitigate the effects of any construction to the local community.

In response to these challenges, Stantec and the wider team designed a new link road, with two roundabouts and a green bridge which has connected the site to the A39 and M5 Junction 23. The green bridge is the first of its kind in the region and is designed to blend into the prevailing topography to minimise its visual impact. The bridge also enhances local walking and equestrian routes.

The landscaping work included the incorporation of new permanent water bodies and around 5,000 new trees, resulting in a biodiversity net gain for the site. Throughout the project, the scheme reused more than 125,000m3 of material from the works, which meant that no material waste was taken off the site.

Commenting on the award win, Richard Smith, Senior Associate, at Stantec said: “With any project we approach at Stantec, sustainability, climate resilience and a commitment to carbon reduction are put front and centre of our plan. At the same time, we need to make sure that we minimise disruption, and that the resulting infrastructure has a positive impact on the area and the surrounding communities. The opening of the road has removed through traffic from the village of Puriton, creating a safer village, improving air quality, and creating a more pleasant public environment.

“The engagement carried out prior to, and through construction, ensured the local community were continually updated on progress. We’re delighted that this link road project has won this award, and is now helping provide positive, sustainable access to a nationally important location which is providing fantastic benefits for the region. Congratulations to everyone involved.”

Paul Lowndes, Programme Director at This is Gravity commented “This win belongs to the whole team and is thoroughly deserved. The Gravity team is proud of the collaboration which enables us to create award-winning, world-class infrastructure that will benefit local communities and attracts large-scale operators to Gravity.

“Our ongoing commitment to Gravity’s 4R’s (Recover, Recycle, Repurpose, Reuse) Strategy, that of ensuring that no material unnecessarily becomes landfill, is critical to Gravity’s mission to create a low-carbon environment that promotes clean growth opportunities through site construction and operation.”

December 2022 Newsletter

15th November 202313th December 2022 by Rob Stevens

Highlights

Gravity Sphero STEM initiative launches
Gravity featured in COP27 digital case study
Gravity LDO and Link Road recognised with awards
The team highlights the importance of Link Road connectivity
Gravity sponsors Somerset Business Awards 2023
Gravity promotes local supply chain opportunities
Developing partnerships locally

Gravity Sphero initiative launches

In October, Gravity, in partnership with Bridgwater United FC Community Trust at Bridgwater and Taunton College launched the Gravity Sphero provision.

The initiative seeks to inspire young local minds through the uniting of robotics, football and STEM activities. The interactive tasks which align with the national curriculum are designed to engage children of all ages and abilities. Learning through play. The launch event demoed several ways that children from local communities could be engaged and inspired into the world of STEM, and subsequently the educational pathways that branch out from interests across Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Read more

Gravity case study used at COP27 Conference

Gravity is proud to have been used as an example for the vision of climate-resilient engineering solutions. The case study was part of Stantec’s submission that was used during the recent COP27 conference held in Cario.

Click here to see the case study submission.

Claire Pearce chairs session at the Western Gateway Development Conference

Western-Gateway-Claire-Pearce-Chairs-Session

Our Director – Planning and Economic Development, Claire Pearce, recently chaired the ‘Regeneration and Investment showcase’ session at the upcoming Western Gateway Development Conference.

The session discussed critical questions surrounding future regeneration and investment schemes, covering topics including; ESG credential’s role in securing finance, how best to future-proof developments and engage with future occupiers.

Read more / watch the full session

Gravity LDO and Link Road recognised with national awards

On September 7th, Stantec’s efforts on the Gravity LDO Scenario tool were recognised as Highly Commended by the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) in the national awards ceremony

Also, on November 22nd the Gravity Link Road ‘Enterprise Way’ won the ICE South West, Civil Engineering Award 2022 for New Build over £8M. The Gravity team wants to extend its thanks to all of those whose efforts contributed to these recognitions.

Gravity team highlights the importance of Link Road connectivity

Gravity’s Claire Pearce and Paul Lowndes discuss the crucial role of connectivity and strategic infrastructure in the efforts towards attracting large-scale manufacturing operators. With Heart of the South West LEP funding assisting in the delivery of critical connectivity boosting infrastructure across the region, including the Gravity Link Road, named Enterprise Way.

Gravity sponsors Somerset Business Awards 2023

Gravity is proud to announce its continued sponsorship of the ‘Environmental Achievement Award’ at the upcoming Somerset Business Awards, this will be our third consecutive year.

Our Programme Director, Paul Lowndes will be looking for businesses that are working effectively to make a difference, leaving a positive environmental impact, becoming more resource-efficient and supporting wider sustainability efforts.

Learn more

Gravity Programme Director promotes local supply chain opportunities

Our Programme Director, Paul Lowndes, has been out and about at local networking events speaking about Gravity, its journey, plans for the future and the emerging opportunities for local businesses as part of a supply chain. Events attended include, a Breakfast networking event hosted by the Bridgwater Chamber of Commerce and the Somerset Innovation Exchange 2022. Local businesses can register to be part of Gravity’s supply chain register.

Local college builds Gravity bat house

Gravity is also preparing to add a new bat roost to the site.

The primary bat roost is being constructed by students at Bridgwater & Taunton College, giving students hands-on experience with ecological habitat management, involving local students is part of Gravity’s wider push towards creating genuine social value for local communities.

Gravity works with local communities

As well as rolling out the Gravity Sphero project, Gravity are working closely with our contractors’ Ecology Solutions and Keystone to advise Puriton Parish Council on ecological and environmental matters to progress the technical preparation for the new leisure facilities at Purton Sports Hall.

Gravity has also instructed Sedgemoor District Council to progress with the plan to expand Puriton’s play area located off Manse Lane, which we expect to open in Spring 2023.

Gravity are excited to hear that the taster session of the Gravity Sphero initiative was warmly received by Woolavington Primary school and that more sessions are being enabled through Villages Together.

Members of the Bridgwater United Business Club were pleased to hear about the Gravity Sphero initiative and could really see the potential to engage and inspire young people into future jobs and careers.

Gravity welcomes Chancellors ‘investment zone’ announcement

23rd September 2022 by Rob Stevens

Gravity are delighted that the Government has announced a portfolio of investment zones in the Growth Plan 2022, naming our strategic site as a destination for economic growth in the UK.

Gravity is a 616 acre enterprise zone in Somerset and is a strategic destination for international investment in the UK, and is at the forefront of enabling an accelerated response to tackling climate change. The Gravity site is in a ‘ready state’ and is primed for a rapid response. The ambition is tohost large-scale advanced manufacturing – a gigafactory – creating up to 7,500 higher-value jobs and supply chain opportunities for businesses across the South West.

This strategic refocus on enterprise zones and their modernisation with ‘freeport thinking’ is exactly what is needed to attract international business and transformational investment into the UK to create a forward-facing and clean economy. Somerset and Sedgemoor District have been a key pioneer in economic development and delivery and we are excited about responding to this new opportunity to deliver a new clean growth revolution.

The adoption of the Gravity Local Development Order has enabled us to provide the flexibility to host 1.1 million square metres of commercial floorspace, as well as accommodating up to 750 homes for the workforce. We are working collaboratively with potential occupiers and Bridgwater and Taunton College on plans to create a talent to meet occupier needs.

Martin Bellamy, Chairman at This is Gravity & Salamanca Group, said “This announcement is of great significance to the UK. It demonstrates the economic reality that the UK must be highly competitive in a global market place to thrive and progress. We are immensely proud that Gravity will play a leading role in the UK’s transition towards a clean growth economy.”

Tom Curtis, Co-CEO at This is Gravity, added “This Growth Plan supports our approach to the site, ensuring its readiness for large-scale advanced manufacturing operators. Since site acquisition in 2017, our team has worked diligently to anticipate the needs of a global operator. Gravity has prepared solutions for energy, water, inter-modal transport, planning and telecoms, creating the UK’s largest shovel-ready site.”

Claire Pearce, Director – Planning & Economic Development at Salamanca Group and This is Gravity, added “This announcement marks a transformational step change in the UK’s economic growth plans and aligns with the Gravity smart campus ambition to create 7,500 higher value jobs in a future-facing industry at the heart of the South West. We are delighted with the focus on delivery and stand ready to work with Government to turn plans into action on the ground’.

About Gravity

Expected to create up to 7,500 jobs, the 616-acre Enterprise Zone will be designed to shape connections between people and the places they work, supporting a culture of innovation and wellbeing. It will include diverse, flexible workspaces and resilient technologies along with enhanced transport links to, and within, the surrounding area.