Stevenage 75th anniversary magazine | biz4Biz - Magazine - Page 26
The LEP effect - accelerating
the pace of change
I
n this special ‘Stevenage – A Catalyst
for Growth’ edition, we look at what
a difference targeted investment by
Hertfordshire LEP has made to the New
Town over the past decade and what the
future holds.
Stevenage is a town of many firsts – in
1946 it became the first New Town
with families relocating from London
as early as 1952. This vision of a better
way of life has echoes in the UK’s first
fully pedestrianised town centre, and its
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network of cycle paths, walkways and
public realm. Housing was originally
designed around six neighbourhoods
and a substantial industrial zone was
sited, separate from residential areas, to
the west of the main road and railway.
Major firms including British Aerospace,
Kodak and Bowaters provided valuable
local employment and it is this industrial
heritage and pioneering New Town
spirit that has shaped Stevenage’s past
and present and continues to strongly
influence its future.
S T E V E N A G E A C ATA LY S T F O R G R O W T H | 2 0 2 4
“Over the past decade and
guided by its Strategic
Economic Plan, Hertfordshire
LEP has invested in projects
across the county that will have
the maximum uplift on our
local economy and its people,
places and businesses.”
