A NEW study suggests 18,000 new jobs will be created in Gloucestershire over the course of the next decade.

The report - commissioned by Gloucestershire First and the South West Regional Development Agency - concludes that Gloucestershire is unlikely to attract major foreign investors but that the new jobs would be created by smaller enterprise.

Property consultants DTZ Pieda Consulting conducted the research into the supply of land and property for businesses in the county. And its findings call for a market-led, robust and flexible policy for future development.

The report states that growth in industry will come from property services and real estate, as well as accountancy and marketing.

It also signals a shift in the type of premises required by industries such as advanced engineering, environmental technologists and the biotech sector.

Demand for low-tech space will decline and demand for high-tech space increase to accommodate industries requiring state-of-the-art communications.

However, working in rural areas and working from home will continue to grow.

The full report will be available to the public in July and will recommend that quality sites and premises by made available for sectors predicted to grow.

It calls for more employment sites in Cheltenham, an enterprise park within the Cheltenham and Gloucester area, conversion of rural buildings and development of brown field sites, and the creation of distribution hubs like Sharpness Docks.

More than £750,000 has so far been invested in 15 projects to support the rural economy throughout the county.

The Gloucestershire First Rural Economy Advisory Panel has recommended investing in the Forest of Dean's retail business support scheme and has backed a Federation of Small Business initiative to create wealth in the Stroud area.

Money could also be made available for the Stroud Valleys Artspace, Cotswold Model Car Club and the Wotton electric Picture House project. For more information visit www.southwestrda.org.uk

A Cotswold District Council spokesman said: "By recognising the importance of having flexible accommodation for new and existing businesses, the Gloucestershire Workspace Strategy provides key intelligence to CDC, and in particular, refers to the challenges facing the rural economy.

"Looking at successful rural schemes within the district, such as the Cotswold Innovation Centre at Rissington, it is clear that the Cotswolds is an attractive location for many companies.

"Therefore it is important that we work with our partner organisations to ensure that there is an appropriate supply of workspace to continue to support the local business community, both now and in the future."