Vital local businesses in rural communities – how ORCC can help

We are probably not thought of immediately as an organisation of particular relevance to local businesses but this is not the case. Here are some ways in which we can help:

Planning at District and County level – putting the case for economic development
We want to encourage more flexible and positive responses from planning authorities in response to applications for business use and economic developments in rural areas, so long as they are in keeping with their location and of suitable scale. We aim to increase the economic, social and environmental sustainability of a rural community, whatever its size.

Community planning at local level – local people deciding on future priorities
We promote and support the production of Community-Led Plans which should cover social, economic and environmental issues, reflecting the views and needs of all sections of the community including local business people.

People working from home

We are promoting the formation of informal local community-based networks of people working from home to provide opportunities to socialise, to share information and best practice and to become aware of the potential for accessing business and other services from other local business people.

Case studies of ten informal groups are available here. 

A free ORCC resource How To Set Up A Village Business Group is available here.

Local infrastructure to support business activity
We can link local businesses to potential local providers of space for business meetings and possibly other resources and facilities which business people could access, including: