We have prepared our first Northern Beaches-wide Economic Development Strategy (EDS) to be known as 'Business on the Beaches'.

The draft EDS sets a vision that 'The Northern Beaches is a more diverse, innovative, vibrant and green economy' and outlines the key economic challenges, opportunities and aspirations for the Local Government Area (LGA) over the next 10 years. It seeks to assist local businesses in their post COVID-19 recovery while planning for a sustainable economy long into the future.

The draft EDS sets out how Northern Beaches Council can attract, sustain and support businesses under four guiding themes:

• diverse economy
• innovative economy
• vibrant economy
• green economy

For each theme there is a goal supported by a series of objectives, actions and measures.

The draft EDS has been prepared by consultancy NDP Economic Development and is based on a thorough analysis of the economic climate and engagement with the local Northern Beaches business community.

It is informed by detailed technical studies, namely the Northern Beaches Employment Study undertaken by SGS Economics & Planning, and the more recent Economic Health Check prepared by .id Consulting.

Read the executive summary section of the draft EDS here.

The draft EDS identifies a number of opportunities, as well as key challenges, with building a more vibrant, sustainable and resilient local economy.

Opportunities:

• innovation - new spaces or hubs to attract knowledge-based businesses and workers that align with the skills and aspirations of residents.
• entrepreneurship - with some of the most talented professionals in Sydney and higher levels of home-based businesses, a focus on start-ups could grow the culture of entrepreneurship through information sharing, promotion, and networking opportunities.
• town centres - through a combination of promotion, events, public domain improvements and regulations to revitalise our town centres, welcoming back locals and visitors.
• cultural and creative industry- the Northern Beaches is home to the largest concentration of cultural and creative businesses outside of the Sydney CBD, offering scope for further growth by establishing creative hubs.
• green economy- with local consumers wanting sustainable products and a high proportion of residents having the skills that could support a green economy, potential to explore and promote emerging investment opportunities in this sector.

Key challenges:

• traffic congestion - this common frustration of business owners is slow transport for staff, customers, and suppliers, thus reducing profits.
• no major CBD - it is harder to attract major corporates and provide jobs that match residents’ skills without a significant CBD.
• lower paid roles - the absence of international students and working travellers, as well as rising housing costs that force many key workers to live outside of the LGA, has limited the pool of workers for lower-paid roles.
• industrial and warehousing areas - these areas must be protected as they allow for existing and emerging industries that support the ongoing performance and functionality of the Northern Beaches economy.

Vision: "The Northern Beaches is a more diverse, innovative, vibrant and green economy."

Diverse refers to the variety of different industry sectors, a mix of business sizes, and people with different skills and backgrounds participating in a more resilient economy.

Innovative refers to the entrepreneurial and creative economy that encourages start-ups, home-based businesses and creative and cultural industries.

Vibrant refers to thriving and welcoming town centres that attract residents and visitors during the day and into the evening.

Green is about protecting and enhancing the natural environment as the economy grows.

We have established objectives, actions and measures under each of these themes, as part of an economic development strategy that we’ll use to partner with business, community groups and other levels of government to deliver.

As we implement and monitor this strategy over the next decade and beyond, we will measure success across a range of indicators, such as:

• closing the gap between the jobs available locally and career aspirations of the community
• increasing business start-up rates
• growing visitation and local spend
• reducing CO2 emissions and supporting a more circular economy.

Our role as Council is to provide leadership, good governance, advocacy and a competitive business-enabling environment.

Specifically, we:

• provide leadership, corporate planning and governance
• manage land and property development through the approval process
• provide and maintain critical infrastructure and services
• provide environmental management and health services
• manage town centres and place activation
• maintain and communicate economic statistics and information.

Some of our recent dedicated support for the business community and local economy included:

• Business Support Service: a one-stop-shop to navigating Council approval processes or accessing NSW Government support
• Back to Business program: streamlined processes to help business reopen in COVID-safe conditions
• business events and webinars: from digital marketing, resilience and recovery to financial planning and energy efficiency
• Beaches Biz News: a monthly newsletter to 14,000 local businesses that covers Council and NSW Government business news and support
• employment precincts: structure plans and place plans for economic activity in existing and emerging employment areas
• public domain improvements: from footpath upgrades to new public spaces
• town centre activations and events: to encourage visitation to local centres and increase local spending
• networks: including the Sustainability Business Network and Culture Map Live to encourage businesses to network and share best practice
• waste education: encouraging a circular approach to waste, through initiative such as Swap for Good.

What businesses seek from Council

In a survey of nearly 100 local business owners across all industry sectors and sizes, we heard we can best support the Northern Beaches economy by:

• advocating for NBN and improved internet speeds (14%)
• promoting local training and job opportunities (12%)
• retaining industrial and warehousing spaces (12%)
• addressing housing affordability for key workers (11%)
• promoting the Northern Beaches as a genuine business location (10%).

Individual businesses want us to assist them by:

• providing information on grants and financial support (13%)
• ensuring affordable rental space for start-up businesses (12%)
• supporting greater networking amongst businesses (12%)
• encouraging Northern Beaches residents to buy local (11%)
• streamlining council processes (e.g. DAs) (7%).

This information is derived from background analysis and studies. See the draft strategy to read the full industry analysis.

To inform the Economic Development Strategy, we sought to understand the different employment precincts in the LGA.

The employment precinct analysis is informed by our existing planning work, as well as the background studies that are listed on our website.

By looking at the jobs (current and forecast), spending, floorspace breakdown, and challenges and opportunities for each precinct, we find that the Northern Beaches economy offers an array of business settings and economic functions across industrial precincts, business parks, and strategic and local centres

The map and key below highlight the areas of analysis.

Read the full analysis of each employment precinct, local areas, larger industrial areas and business parks, from page 22 of the draft strategy.