Agenda item

The Committee received a report of the Director of the Built Environment advising of a significant new research report on small and medium enterprises in the City that was launched at the recent property Mipim conference.  The report was jointly commissioned by the City Corporation and the City Property Association. 

The Committee noted that the research examined the benefits that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) gained from being based in the City and their perceptions of its offer as a location.  It also looked at some of the challenges arising from pressures on space, with a current vacancy rate of 3.9%, the lowest since 2001.

Members expressed concern regarding the lack of affordable premises available to SMEs and suggested that more should be done to protect more affordable secondary office space.

RESOLVED – To note the findings of the research report ‘Clusters and Connectivity: The City as a Place for SMEs’ and its implications for planning policy in the City.