Residents and businesses from across Crawley can help shape the town’s economic future through a consultation on a draft plan that charts a course for growth over the next 15 years. Crawley Borough Council published Crawley 2040: A new Economic Vision and Growth Plan in June and feedback remains open until 29 July 2026.
The draft sets out five priorities: creating more and better jobs, including in clean energy and green technologies; securing cleaner, sustainable growth; strengthening the town centre with new homes and cultural opportunities; building skills through the new Sussex & Surrey Institute of Technology; and improving connectivity through better transport links and digital infrastructure. An almost £6 billion economy already supports roughly 97,000 jobs across the borough, which ranks as the seventh most innovative place in the UK based on patents per capita. At the Invest Crawley Conference on 10 June, Leader Councillor Michael Jones and Chief Executive Ian Duke launched the consultation alongside Jo Gumb of White Label Creative, who chaired the event.
The Crawley 2040 plan follows the adoption of the Local Plan in October 2024 and builds on public and private investment of more than £60 million through the Crawley Growth Programme. Earlier this year, a Gatwick Green legal agreement was signed, unlocking the borough’s first major expansion of employment land and commercial space in decades. London Gatwick, the busiest single-runway airport in Europe, underpins around 24,000 jobs and could support up to 14,000 more. On Manor Royal, the largest business park in the South East, major employers include Elekta, Thales, Virgin Atlantic, Nestle, Vent-Axia and the People’s Partnership.
The survey and a downloadable draft plan are available on the council’s consultation page. The council is also working with Network Rail on planned improvements to Three Bridges station and with West Sussex County Council on a new Growth Deal for Crawley. All feedback will help finalise the plan before adoption.
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