With an economy larger than Birmingham, Liverpool or Leeds, it produces a gross value added (GVA) of £24 billion, making it 16% more productive than the British economy as a whole.
One of the UK’s most successful regions, positioned strategically around London Gatwick at its heart, and close to the ports of Newhaven and Shoreham, the Gatwick Diamond economy consistently surpasses most of the UK’s top cities; with an economy larger than Birmingham, Liverpool or Leeds, producing a robust gross value added (GVA) of £24 billion.
A region that offers enviable access to global and UK regional networks, ensuring a smooth integration of your business and a welcoming local environment that will make you and your employees feel right at home. The Gatwick Diamond combines the infrastructure, global connectivity and leading-edge technology to support your business ambitions.
The Gatwick Diamond Initiative, London Gatwick, and a coalition of local and regional authorities and private sector partners introduce Invest Gatwick Diamond. This coalition looks to highlight our unified strengths, values and investment opportunities.
We invite you to explore the collective potential of the Gatwick Diamond, showcase our values, and explore the opportunities in our region. We look forward to introducing you to the Gatwick Diamond and discussing how we can explore collaborative opportunities to deliver mutual growth.
The Gatwick Diamond’s fast-growing economy boasts one of the highest qualified and productive labour markets in the UK. It is home to around 406,000 economically active people, with 12m people living within an hour’s drive of the area.
The Gatwick Diamond is home to large numbers of managers, scientific researchers and business professionals, reflective of the higher-value, knowledge-based activities such as R&D or headquarters locations. This has been an important factor in the Gatwick Diamond’s success in attracting high-skilled businesses to the area.
The top five business sectors in West Sussex are professional, scientific and technical; construction; business administration and support services; information and communication; and retail. Much of the activity is focused around the employment areas of Crawley, Burgess Hill and Horsham with proximity to Gatwick. Almost 40% of the working population hold a degree or higher qualification.
The East Surrey area of the Gatwick Diamond covers the local authority areas of Epsom & Ewell, Mole Valley, Reigate & Banstead and Tandridge and includes the towns of Dorking, Leatherhead, Epsom, Reigate and Redhill. It has the fifth highest GVA per hour worked of any ‘NUTS 3’ area in the UK, outside London. While, West Surrey has the seventh highest.
The overlapping Greater Brighton City Region benefits from a large and well-educated workforce. The area has a population of around 800,000 and strong rates of labour market participation. More than 43% of the population hold a degree or higher.