The overall REV vision is to:

Establish REV as an exemplar area for local people to live, work and play, whilst contributing significantly to the regional economy, with the lowest possible environmental impact.

To deliver this aim the key objective is to:

Engineer growth in the local and regional economy, improving the social and business infrastructure, whilst keeping to a minimum any detrimental effect on the environment.

Key principles of REV are:

- Growth & Competitiveness

- Building a business community

- Low Carbon

- Inspiring & Innovative

- Local delivery, regional significance

Why is the REV area significant?

- REV joins two areas highlighted for significant growth, Norwich and Thetford

- Thetford and the other market towns along the A11 provide support and foundations that fuels the Norwich growth engine

- Thetford suffers from significant deprivation

- Statistically in terms of jobs, population and its economic contribution the area is significant:

Population42,600 | Number of Companies 1300 | Turnover 1.1bn | Number of Employees 12,000

- The REV area has a lot of prospects and provides an opportunity to marry up the rural and urban environments along with A11 with Norwich for the benefit of the County and region.

What issues / barriers is it looking to address?

As highlighted by the EEDA in their latest regional economic strategy, the future of rural areas will be driven by improvements to innovation, skills and access to markets. The challenge is to tailor actions to meet the needs of the rural communities especially in terms of tackling barriers to growth, i.e. affordable housing and high quality business space.

The REV programme is looking to take this challenge and tailor initiatives and actions to create an integrated development programme for the area. This will address barriers and issues including:

- Availability of quality business space

- Low skills available within the REV area

- Strategic site development

- Business competitiveness regionally and globally

- Addressing the Government's low carbon agenda

- Creation of quality job opportunities

Who is delivering the programme?

As the majority of the REV area is currently located in the Breckland District, the Breckland Economic Development team has secured resources in order to move the REV programme initiative forward.

However whilst this team will be the driving force behind the programme there is a clear need for many other stakeholders and partners to become involved to maximise the impact and benefit of the programme.

How is the value going to be added?

It is recognised that without the REV programme certain initiatives and development would happen naturally through market forces. At the same time other significant developments would not happen without intervention. Put simply the REV team and programme will add value by enabling development, overcoming market failure barriers and delivering projects thereby engineering a cohesive and growing business community.

Within this, duplication, business simplification and SMART principles will be looked at to ensure intervention and tailored delivery only takes place where there are gaps. Otherwise existing products and services will be brokered into to address identified needs.

What are the key outputs the programme will deliver?

As the business / delivery plan for the programme is developed, specific key outputs and figures will be finalised. The main focus is to increase growth in the REV for the County and region without adversely effecting the natural environment and maintaining the REV area as an excellent place to live, work and play.

It is believed that as a result an integrated community of businesses will be created that:

- Represent all the major business sectors

- Collectively meet clearly identified standards in terms of environment impact and staff training / development

- Work together forming networks that lead to competitive advantages being achieved

- Benefit by simply being located and associated with the REV area.