Crawley Growth Deal

1 Overview

The Crawley growth programme is a long-term partnership between Crawley Borough Council and West Sussex County Council. It started in 2016 to help the town grow. The programme aims to boost the economy, build new homes, improve infrastructure and public spaces, and attract new investment.

Since it began, the programme has brought together public funding to deliver major regeneration projects across the town. So far, it has secured more than £50 million of public investment. This helped to create about 160,000 square metres of new commercial space, over 800 new homes and 1,913 jobs.

The programme has also improved public spaces across Crawley. It has delivered:

11,000 square metres of better public space
1,800 metres of new cycle lanes
700 metres of bus lanes
3 upgraded junctions
a new Superhub

These improvements help make Crawley stronger in the long term and create a better place for people to live and work.

The first Growth Deal is ending. We have agreed a new deal to build on this work and guide the next 5 years. It sets out shared goals, key projects and supports continued joint working and investment. The aim is to unlock the next stage of growth, deliver the best value for the community, and support a strong, sustainable and resilient local economy.

Find out more about the Crawley Growth Deal (PDF, 6.4MB)

2 Projects in the Growth Deal

The following projects focus on improving how people travel, making public spaces better and using public land in the best way. They will help deliver new homes and high-quality business space.

Station Gateway

This regeneration scheme will transform public spaces and deliver major improvements to the operation of the bus station, an important gateway to Crawley town centre. Find out more about Station Gateway.

Manor Royal Move It

This programme helps people choose healthy and sustainable ways to travel to work. It supports workers and businesses in Manor Royal by offering benefits, rewards and advice. It also helps reduce problems with transport, parking and traffic. Find out more about Manor Royal Move It.

Three Bridges station improvements

This project is a major connectivity improvement scheme. It will redevelop Three Bridges station forecourt, create a new entrance to the station from Station Hill and create a vibrant new space with excellent connectivity for all. Find out more about Three Bridges station improvements.

Crawley town centre east regeneration plan

This is a major project to improve 6 key sites in the east of Crawley town centre. It aims to create the right conditions for new high-quality business space and homes.

3 Themes and priority projects

After looking at Crawley’s population, economy, and census data, we have set out 5 main growth themes. These themes will guide long-term investment and action across the borough. They support sustainability and the move to net zero. They also shape decisions about jobs, infrastructure, places and skills.

Alongside a focus on housing, these 5 themes help identify key Growth Deal priority projects. These projects show shared goals between both councils and focus on areas with the biggest economic, social and environmental impact.

The councils will develop and deliver the projects using the Growth Deal 2025 to 2030:

Project Development Framework in Appendix A
Action Plan in Appendix B

Different services may lead each project. Projects must get the right approvals from each council before they can move forward. They will progress in line with each council’s processes. This ensures strong oversight, clear accountability and value for money.

Growth Deal themes

Theme 1 - Boost productivity growth, investment and innovation

Crawley fits well with the Invest 2035 Industrial Strategy. It has strong businesses in key growth sectors. Manor Royal is already strong in advanced manufacturing, defence, and life sciences. There is also growing activity in digital, AI, and clean energy. This makes Crawley a centre for innovation and business growth.

We need more work to support this growth. This includes updating Manor Royal and improving its facilities. It also means working with energy providers to plan for higher demand, better grid capacity and low-carbon industries that use more energy.

Theme 2 - Ensure we have a dynamic and skilled workforce

Crawley has a large and varied workforce, supported by strong links to jobs and international travel. To make the most of the benefits of growth, there is a focus on improving skills, helping people move forward in their careers and giving residents better access to higher value jobs.

The Growth Deal commits both councils to work closely with employers. This includes support for training and keeping skilled workers in the area. This work is strengthened by Gatwick Airport’s £20 million Employment, Skills and Business Strategy. This strategy is linked to the Northern Runway project.

Theme 3 - Boost green innovation, enhance natural capital, and support the move to Net Zero

Climate change and cutting carbon are key to Crawley’s future. The borough is in a strong position to support new green ideas, including early projects like the London Gatwick Hydrogen Hub.

Crawley is also seeing major progress in clean energy. It has the UK’s largest fleet of hydrogen powered buses, large solar projects, and new heat networks in Manor Royal and the town centre. These are supported by places like the Crawley Innovation Centre.

Theme 4 - Deliver new development and infrastructure and strengthen the benefits of our international transport hubs

We expect Gatwick Airport’s northern runway to drive growth over the long term, bringing more jobs and improved connections. To make the most of this, the borough needs the right infrastructure in place at the right time. It also needs to make good use of land set out in the Local Plan, especially in the town centre.

The limited land availability in Crawley requires higher density development. Projects will focus on:

improving underused sites
making better use of existing employment areas
creating a new strategic employment site at Gatwick Green
putting forward plans to release 530 hectares of land south of Gatwick Airport

Investment in public transport, walking and cycling routes, and full fibre digital networks will play a key role in supporting sustainable growth.

Theme 5 - Sustain our distinctive and vibrant places and grow our visitor economy

The Local Plan highlights strong opportunities for growth in Crawley town centre and confirms Manor Royal as the main place for jobs in the borough. Ongoing investment in high-quality public spaces, infrastructure, local services, and shopfronts is important to keep Crawley competitive.

There is also a focus on improving the evening and visitor economy, especially as we expect Gatwick Airport to grow. This will help attract more people, support local businesses and make Crawley a more appealing place to live, work and invest.

Cross cutting priority - housing growth

Tackling the borough’s housing emergency is a top priority across all work. The Local Plan sets out enough town centre sites to deliver around 3,000 new homes. These homes are key to creating a town centre that is both sustainable and economically strong.

The Growth Deal highlights the need to speed up housing delivery. Both councils will work together to support and deliver new housing projects more quickly.

4 Completed projects

Since it began, the Growth Programme has delivered a range of major projects across the borough. These projects have turned planned investment into real improvements on the ground.

They have helped grow the economy, improve transport and connections, upgrade public spaces, and deliver new homes and jobs. Together, they have helped make Crawley stronger and more resilient for the future. Below are the key projects delivered so far through the programme.

Eastern Gateway

Find out about the Eastern Gateway scheme.

Manor Royal highway improvements phase 1 and 2

Completed in 2023, the scheme:

upgraded A23 London Road junctions with new walking and cycling routes
introduced a one-way system on Metcalf Way and County Oak Way to reduce congestion
supported jobs and growth in the Manor Royal Business District
added a bus lane on Manor Royal to improve bus journey times and reliability

Manor Royal Digital Signs

Find out about the Manor Royal Digital Signs.

Queensway Pavements

Find out about the Queensway pavements.

Queens Square

Find out about the improvements completed in 2017 for Queens Square.

Haslett Avenue signal upgrade

In March 2018 we upgraded the traffic signals and added a new crossing that residents had requested. This improved links with other junctions in the area that now work together more efficiently and allow traffic to flow through the region in a way that wasn’t possible before.

Real-time passenger information installation

Find out about our electronic displays at bus stops. They provide real time updates so you can see how your bus is running.

Worth Park Avenue improvements

We complete the Worth Park Avenue cycle improvements scheme in 2016. This delivered 1.7km of shared cycleway and footway from Ridley’s Corner in the east to Three Bridges rail station in the west.