Shropshire is set to be a big part of the growing rural economy heading to outstrip that of the city for the first time in more than 200 years, according to a county surveyors.
Analysis by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) predicts that billions of pounds of investment on better transport links, mobile phone coverage and superfast broadband could see rural employment in England rising by six per cent.
Telford and Wrekin last week revealed a £5.6 million programme to roll out superfast broadband across the region after the signing of a major engineering partnership contract with BT.
It will enable more than 9,300 residents and businesses that cannot currently access faster fibre broadband to do so by the end of 2017.
And with the Connecting Shropshire Partnership announcing last month that around 31,500 homes and businesses across the county are now within reach of faster fibre broadband Shropshire is looking to raise their rural employment numbers dramatically.
The achievement marks the halfway point in the roll-out, which is on course to connect more than 63,000 premises by the end of 2016.
Tom Bayliss, of Madeleys Chartered Surveyors in Much Wenlock, said these changes currently taking place put the county on the right track to being a major part of the growing rural economy.
He said: “With the advancements in technology and the proposed investments to the rural services like super-fast broadband, better roads and mobile phone coverage, working from home and living in rural areas has never looked so attractive.
“That coupled with the relaxed planning laws on converting farm buildings into commercial property reduces the need for larger companies to be city-based.
“The advantages of once being based in a city, like superfast broadband and phone signal, are soon to be available in the countryside where rents are lower and the views far greater.
“Therefore it is no surprise that the rural economy is set to outgrow that of the urban areas in the near future.”
Madeleys itself is set to make use of the developments in the county now that Much Wenlock has fibre.
Director and founder Paul Madeley said: “The centre of Much Wenlock has always been notorious for having no mobile signal which meant that the mobile phones were out of range in the office.
“The broadband was an issue too so access to the internet – especially now that we are having to submit things online much of the time – was a problem for us.
“Now that Much Wenlock has fibre many of those problems will be solved.”
Areas of Shropshire set to get fibre in their area this year include Bucknell, Clive, Ditton Priors, Great Bolas, Knockin, Munslow and Whixhall.
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