Susie Cawood: York must drop the chocolate box to meet business challenge of the future

For a number of towns and cities, modernisation provides a welcome substitute to the post-war concrete tower blocks that previously dominated their skyline.

However, York, with its rich character and history that will be self-evident as the Ebor race meeting begins today, is posed with an acute dilemma of how to balance its heritage with progress.

York’s heritage is undoubtedly an asset to the city. We have an international reputation, which is due to the strength of the city’s tourism offering and its two universities.

However, an over-dependency on public-sector job creation means that the city now faces substantial economic challenges in the aftermath of the recession and, as a result, needs to rebalance its economy.

While no one would suggest that we should compromise York’s history and cultural offering, we need to be prepared to move beyond the status quo. The council, businesses and residents should support development projects that will attract private sector investment and create employment opportunities for the city’s young people and skilled graduates.

Over the past few weeks, York’s headlines have been dominated by the opposition to York St John’s expansion into Union Terrace coach and car park. While the Chamber supports further consultation into the sale of the car park, we believe that the final outcome must be considered on a wider scale than just retail and be determined by what is best for the growth and development of the city.

Change is always a sensitive word, but it can bring opportunity. When plans to bring Park and Ride and other traffic controls to York were first announced, they were met with doubt and opposition; however, the benefits of these schemes are widely recognised today and have provided a huge boost to the tourism industry.

Similarly, following the decline of its primary industries – chocolate manufacturing and railways – in the 1980s, York embarked on imaginative and ambitious reform, which saw substantial growth in the technology and service industries and the establishment of Science City York. In 2002, a survey found York to be the most profitable business centre in the country and many jobs were created along the way.

However, it could be argued that the city’s success has led to complacency as, other than Heslington East, there has been little development in York in recent years.

This is creating an impression to the rest of the world that York is stagnating, despite the reality that it is home to dynamic and ambitious businesses and highly-skilled workers.

York has to remain competitive and show the rest of the UK and world that we are a business city and not just a “chocolate box” tourist destination. In an increasingly globalised world, cities are becoming more and more competitive. There is a hunger amongst local leaders to turn their area into the next big thing. Helsinki, for example, is undergoing its largest construction project in its history and will create homes for 100,000 people and jobs for tens of thousands.

In the Far and Middle East, cities are being built faster than ever before. York needs to ensure that it is in a position to compete for investment, not just with places like Cambridge and Oxford or Leeds and Manchester, but on an international level.

In the same way that the city has a strong identity that attracts tourists and scholars, it needs to have a clear brand to attract private sector investment and become known for its pro-business attitude.

We can promote our skilled workforce and strengths in science and technology, but these will be overshadowed by a cautious attitude to development and a lack of business sites and housing.

In the past, the council has adopted a short-sighted approach to the city’s housing levels, resulting in more workers having to commute into the city from surrounding districts. This has led to increased congestion and much of the wealth generated in the city being spent elsewhere.

Successful cities are open to change and it is clear that York has to build on its past achievements as opposed to standing still and admiring what is now. We need to look at the medium and long term. In the current economic climate, it may seem absurd to think of investing in large-scale development projects, but we need to ensure, that as a city, we have the groundwork in place to capitalise on the growth opportunities in 2013 and beyond.

The Chamber welcomes the view from City of York’s leaders and senior executives that York needs to progress, but this view needs to translate across all local authority officers and the city.

There are questions that we need to tackle about York’s future, such as how we transform a culture of preservation into one of aspiration and how we balance heritage with prosperity.

The city has the leadership and talent to make things happen, but we need have the courage to achieve it and the whole city needs to support this vision.

Susie Cawood is head of York and North Yorkshire Chamber.