The historical pattern of production and employment in Tiverton and the analysis of the business survey reveals
• the weaknesses inherent in relying on one main industry for employment,
• the very considerable effort made in the last quarter of the twentieth century to diversify the industrial base of the town,
• the further need to diversify the economic base of the town in the twenty-first century,
• the constant vigilance required for businesses to remain competitive in a global economy and
• the difficulty of retaining large employers in a business environment where market towns can no longer compete with commercial clustering in major urban areas.
The statistics and survey analysis below benchmark the essential vigour of a local economy based on a high proportion of small businesses. These source their materials locally as far as possible, employ local people, generate income for the market town area and plough this back into the local economy. Leakage from the local economy occurs where, for example, local companies are taken over by firms from outside the area, where materials such as heating are sourced outside the area and where profits are invested outside the market area.
There is scope for projects such as the EXE VALLEY FOREST project to initiate sustainable local renewable
energy schemes (5.5) to plug this leak. With over 70% of local economically active people employed within
the market town area, the Tiverton market town area is currently comparatively green with regard to journey
to work emissions by comparison with the other Mid Devon market towns, Crediton and Cullompton.
The Plan seeks to promote the marketing of local produce through
• WEBNET MARKETING
• FesTiv plus an annual FOOD FAIR
• a quality branding ‘EXE 4 EXCELLENCE’ and
• BUSINESS SKILLS AND ENTREPRENEUR DEVELOPMENT among sixth form students.
The TOWN ENHANCEMENT SCHEME seeks to boost local trade through an enhanced shopping environment,
clear signage, adequate pavement provision and the provision of loading bays to supply local shops.
9.1 Tiverton’s industrial and commercial landscape Industrial units are scattered across a number of sites
of varying size in the town. Tiverton has one business park developed in the 1980s.
9.1.1 The nineteenth and early twentieth century face of Tiverton is reflected in the rise and domination of Heathcoats lace factory in West Exe North. The Heathcoat family invested heavily in the industrial infrastructure of Tiverton, social housing and civic buildings, and for over a century until the 1970s were the major employer in the town.
9.1.2 Heathcoats factory now produces industrial fabrics, including car airbags, and remains one of the principal employers in the town.
9.1.3 Lowman Manufacturing, located off Lowman Green (Lowman Ward) was established by the Heathcoat-Amory family. This is a holding company for a family of industries including Stenners (sawmill machinery) and Medland, Sanders and Twose (agricultural machinery). With the erection of the Tesco Superstore on the Blundell’s Road carpark, these premises are now approached from the new roundabout in Blundells Road. The firms continue to be important employers in the town.
9.1.4 Blundells road is also home to other commercial premises including a builders merchant, kitchen tiles, autoparts and car sales companies. Further east, across Horsdon roundabout, employment land off Blundells Road includes a scrap metal yard. The land occupied by the nearby disused chicken factory at this location is designated for employment in the Mid Devon District Local Plan.
9.1.5 Employment land at Howden in West Exe South includes the Devon Cider bottling plant, car body repair works, cement works, engineering companies, roofing, printing, road haulage and dairy supply companies.
9.1.6 Small employment units are located behind the Morrisons Supermarket and the Renault garage off Kennedy Way (Castle Ward), including tool repairs, sign manufacture, linen wholesale, and IT equipment, in a small business site off narrow Castle Street in the centre of Tiverton which produced specialist ironwork, and at Tiverton Mill off Leat street, a former timber yard.
9 . 1 . 7 In the 1980s, employment land (Tiverton Business Park in Lowman Ward) was opened up on the east of the town, north west of Blundells School, and adjacent to the North Devon Link Road. A number of important local employers are located on the Business Park. These businesses range from toiletries, industrial parts, roofing and security lock manufacture, engineering, building, through piano and keyboard sales and repair, publishing, news collation, and word processing services, to tyre repairs, DIY stores and MacDonalds.
Levels of employment Source: 2001 Census
Sector characteristics
Employment of people living in the area by industry 2001 Source: 2001 Census
9.1.8 Reuters, a key employer on the Business Park, is relocating to the east side of Exeter near the Meteorological Office shortly.
9.1.9 A new public sector call centre is to be located in Tiverton.
9.1.10 The Wykes Yarn factory closed in September 2005. Proposals to redevelop this, partly as offices and partly for wholesaling were displayed for consultation in the Tiverton Hotel in summer 2006. Jewsons, the builders merchant, are taking part of the space.
The Exe Valley Plan -
