Get ready now for the next boom

The economic cycle is in a period of downturn and we don't know how long it will last. But history tells us that it will be a temporary condition and that over time we will see it come to an end and with it a return to growth.

When that happens all the major city regions in the UK will be competing for the necessary investment which will bring jobs, allow the building of homes and the creation of infrastructure.

Bristol is one of those core cities and the region immediately around it is also recognised as the main economic engine for the South West, being earmarked for in excess of 100,000 jobs and homes over the next 20 years.

Therefore, it is vital that we make ambitious plans now which will enable us to hit those targets and benefit from the prosperity available to the best prepared and most competitive local economy.

Some people are anxious about the concept of economic growth. They talk about our green and pleasant land being concreted over, with trees replaced by depressing high-rise blocks and pasture being converted into vast industrial estates.

But for those of us who love this place in which we live and work, the last thing we'd want to do is wreck the pleasant environment we cherish and which will draw thousands more people over the coming decades.

The challenge for us all is to devise a method by which we can grow our economy and bring prosperity to everyone, while preserving the beauty and the open spaces.

We've tried to do it in the past and got it wrong. But we can learn a lesson from what happens when growth is haphazard and unplanned and we can benefit from the experiences of others.

For example, the city of Freiburg in Germany began the process towards economic growth by first considering the big issues of globalisation and climate change. The community kept the elements of sustainability and renewable energy at the heart of their approach to planning the development of their city, providing a broad framework within which detailed work could be done.

There's no reason why the region around the city of Bristol can't adopt a similarly modern and ambitious approach.

And, of course, it's not just about building homes and places in which people work.

It's about eradicating poverty, raising educational standards and encouraging people to have aspirations. It's also about giving everyone the confidence to feel they can play a full part in our society, and not be marginalised and forced to watch from the sidelines while the rest enjoy the fruits of economic activity.

If you stood back from any outline map of the Bristol city region and glanced at statistics on house prices, educational attainment and employment levels, it would quickly become obvious that the central area and the northern fringe are making great strides while south Bristol is lagging behind.

Therefore, it surely makes sense to consider ways in which that area can be properly brought up to the standards already achieved elsewhere.

It's very difficult to visualise a vague concept without at least drafting some rough plans, so business leaders invited the noted town planner, Professor David Lock, and his expert colleagues to think about what an enriched and expanded south Bristol might look like. I must stress that this initiative was not to usurp the proper authority of the elected councils nor to ride roughshod over present residents, but simply to take the process forward.

Very often developments start with housing, and infrastructure is bolted on afterwards.

Professor Lock took the opposite approach, first looking at ways in which first-class public transport systems could be designed with both arterial routes running into the centre and radial services taking people from communities around the edge. He also looked at improving links with the port and airport.

The objective is to produce a system in which the vast majority of the population would live no further than 400 metres from a stop, which might be served by bus, tram or light rail. Once the public transport framework is created other aspects start to fall into place.

The crossing points between arterial and radial public transport routes make a natural site for a community to thrive.

Therefore some existing centres of population could be developed much further, providing the people who already live there with additional facilities which would draw in newcomers.

In addition, the public transport system would produce other opportunities to create new communities on surrounding land, but crucially those fresh developments would be well linked into the rest of what would become an enlarged cityscape and not left out on a limb to fend for themselves.

The result of a development project on this scale would reshape the economic map of the Bristol region, spreading the benefits of prosperity, improving access to the good life and giving this area the best possible chance of competing successfully in the UK, European and global markets. There will be no shortage of opponents to as large and ambitious a plan as this.

That's why it's so important that the business community galvanises itself to fully engage in the debates that these proposals will generate.

We are convinced by the logic of the approach and excited by the opportunities on offer in south Bristol.

We have also received crucial encouragement for this approach from the South West Regional Development Agency, which will take on more responsibility for planning from the Regional Assembly in 2010.

SWRDA has given a clear signal that ambitious proposals for south Bristol will be welcomed and that substantial sums are available for investment if we move quickly.

The challenge for us all is to develop the outline ideas still further and then to work out how the vision can be delivered.

■ John Savage is chief executive of GWE Business West, an economic development organisation which delivers a range of services to businesses.