Examination of Witnesses (Questions 290
- 299)
THURSDAY 29 JUNE 2000
MR ROBERT
BOURNE, MR
TOM QUINN,
MR JOHN
PRECIOUS AND
MR BRUCE
WALKER
Chairman: Gentlemen, we welcome you here
today. Mr Fearn will open the questioning.
Mr Fearn
290. Good afternoon. Your concept of utilising
the Dome is quite different from what we have been hearing. Looking
at the diagram, I do not know how much it will change from this
but this is the final stage. I have never been able to quite understand
what architects do but it looks like a lot of boxes inside the
Dome. I cannot see why the Dome is there with your concept which
we have underneath which is for businesses. It is quite different.
Can you explain it?
(Mr Bourne) The Dome as an existing structure,
a profound space, provides a unique opportunity to cover some
approximately a million square feet. Now, within that covered
space we have the opportunity to create spaces for businesses,
large and small, in the image there. What we are trying to do
is convey the impression of light weight structures, they do not
have to be sealed buildings, they will be light weight structures
and far more economical to produce than a large weather proof
building with foundations. Everything is already there with the
Dome, the foundations and the covering.
291. An interesting concept and they are quite
high rise, six stories high?
(Mr Bourne) Yes, it is a human scale in a way. There
are many examples over the centuries of small towers, especially
in Italy. What I am trying to demonstrate in that image is the
flexibility for a small business, allowing them to grow or how
space can be expanded upwards as well as laterally within the
Dome.
292. How many employees would there be in the
space of the Dome? You must have a figure for that.
(Mr Bourne) Yes. We feel 9,000.
293. How many?
(Mr Bourne) 9,000 people working inside the Dome.
294. Would these be businesses that have come
in from all over London and the rest of the country or even Europe?
There would not be many local people coming into the business
area, would there?
(Mr Bourne) Could I ask my Business Development Director,
Bruce Walker, just to address the employment issues.
(Mr Walker) I think we submitted the PricewaterhouseCoopers'
economic study. The local jobs that they talk about are the headline
numbers. 9,000 is the approximate figure they have come out with
for the community of the Dome plus there is a development outside,
so that is another 4,500, a global figure of approximately 14,000.
In terms of local jobs, their view is that there will be some
3,500 jobs created additionally for local people within that 9,000
initially. Although the point was that 88 per cent of the jobs
would be additional, they are new jobs as such. It is not just
a question of relocating businesses from other locations. The
community and the various aspects we will be drawing together,
large high tech companies, academic research, universities, clustering
them all on the same campus.
Chairman
295. Can I interrupt and say there is a very
strange humming noise going on which is competing with the interesting
information you are giving to the Committee. I wonder if you can
speak a little more loudly so we can hear you better.
(Mr Walker) What I was trying to say was that these
will be additional jobs, which was one of the strong things which
came out of our economic study. What we are creating is effectively
a cluster of large businesses, academic research and commercialisation
of intellectual property and a strong emerging community of small
businesses who will benefit very much from the flexibility that
Mr Bourne has been expanding upon, which does not exist anywhere
else in London or anywhere else in the country. This is a unique
opportunity. The Dome's covering creates that opportunity whereby
you can build these flexible lower cost structures which can be
adapted because a lot of these companies grow terribly quickly.
They need that flexibility, it is something that is not easily
solved in the London area.
Mr Fearn
296. It is knowledge based businesses?
(Mr Walker) Absolutely.
297. Which would mean the concept we have at
the moment there of all those people would be redundant? They
would go?
(Mr Bourne) We would obviously like the opportunity
to discuss—if we are successful—which employees could
assist in the physical running of an operation within the Dome.
Obviously there is a great possibility of retraining facilities.
We have in our budget a sum set aside to assist in retraining
a local workforce to become employed by the new generation of
the new economy companies that will be setting up. Obviously employment
will be important. It will be very important. We will be mindful
of that.
298. Has it happened anywhere else? Has America
got anything like this?
(Mr Walker) There are various examples of international
clustering. Lord Sainsbury's report on clusters published last
year refers to various areas in particular. One of the key reasons
for the US economic growth in productivity rates is its emphasis
on commercialising technology, innovation and enterprise which
is at the heart of what runs right through our scheme. This is
a great opportunity for Britain as a whole to capitalise. We have
always been good at ideas and innovation in this country but not
really as good as, for example, the United States on capitalising
on that and creating valuable long term jobs, which is what we
are all about.
299. It is like a silicon valley within the
Dome?
(Mr Bourne) Yes.
| 
