Wealden Economy and Town Centre and Retail Study 2016
Wealden District Council commissioned Regeneris Consulting and Carter Jonas to carry out Economic and Retail Studies in 2016. The Wealden Economy Study (December, 2016) was undertaken by Regeneris Consulting and this aims to define the Functional Economic Market Area (FEMA) for Wealden District, and provide an assessment of future growth scenarios for employment use requirements within the District. The Wealden Economy Study was updated in March 2018 with a forecast period between 2013 and 2028. These studies can be downloaded below.
Wealden Economy Study Update 2013 – 2028
Wealden Economy Study 2016
- Wealden Economy Study Executive Summary December 2016
- Wealden Economy Study December 2016
- Wealden Economy Study Duty to Cooperate Statement December 2016
Wealden District Council commissioned Carter Jonas to carry out a Town Centre and Retail Study that was published in 2016. The report provides a baseline retail, town centre and economic assessment for Wealden District (Stage 1), a retail demand and needs assessment (Stage 2) and a concluding report that seeks to provide options and recommendations for the local authority in terms of a town centre hierarchy, town centre strategy and options for local impact threshold policies (Stage 3). These studies can be downloaded below:
Town Centre and Retail Study 2016
- Town Centre and Retail Study 2016 Stage 1
- Town Centre and Retail Study 2016 Stage 2
- Town Centre and Retail Study 2016 Stage 3
- Addendum to Stage 2: Needs Assessment
Furthermore, there have been additional documents published by the Council that relate to the economy, including the rural economy and tourism within Wealden District. These studies can be downloaded below:
- Attracting Large Scale Employers to Wealden – 2016
- Wealden Industry Cluster Study Final Report
- Research and Analysis to inform WDC Destination Management Plan
- Wealden Viticulture Feasibility Study March 2018
Wealden Economic Impact Study
We commissioned a report to exam in the volume and value of tourism and the impact of visitor expenditure on the local economy. Below are the key results from our 2019 report.
- 5.5 million day trips were undertaken
- 0.47 million overnight visits
- £301.8 million spent by tourists during their visit to the area
- £25.15 million spent on average in the local economy every month
- £214 million generated from day trips
- £87.8 million generated by overnight visits
- £368.75 million spent in the local area as a result of tourism (taking into account multiplier effects)
- 8,743 jobs supported, both for local residents and from those living nearby
- 7,511 tourism jobs directly supported
- 1,232 non-tourism related jobs supported (linked to multiplier spend from tourism)
- 18.2% of population employed as a result of tourism in Wealden District
If you wish to view the full document, our most recent 2020 report or previous Economic Impact reports please email economicdevelopment@wealden.gov.uk.