Agenda item

The Senior Planning Officer presented a report relating to draft policies ECN1: Employment Land, ECN2: Employment Areas, Enterprise Zones & Former Airbases and ECN3: Employment Development outside of Employment Areas, which summarised the feedback received in response to the Regulation 18 public consultation and the Officer responses.  He explained that he had made some changes to the ECN1 draft policy since the publication of the agenda in respect of the quantum of land protected for employment and stated that there could be further changes as a result of a further ongoing piece of work on Employment Area boundaries, which was previously agreed by this working party.  The use classes quoted in Policy ECN2 would be amended to be consistent with the latest Use Classes Order.  He recommended that Cabinet endorse the policy approaches as set out in the report.

Councillor N Dixon asked if there was enough choice of employment land sites to meet the differing needs of businesses.   He referred to difficulties experienced by a business in finding a suitable site in Hoveton which could have resulted in the loss of economic activity from the area.  He asked how such problems could be overcome.

The Senior Planning Officer explained that there had been quite substantial changes to the policies from the Core Strategy.  The amount of employment land proposed (62.4 ha.) was substantially greater than that recommended in the Growth Sites Delivery Strategy Study so the amount proposed would allow flexibility and choice across the District over the Plan period.  Policy ECN3 allowed for employment growth outside the designated Employment Areas, which would provide flexibility for the changing nature of the market.  The first part of the Study looked at the market and what was happening in the District.  The second part was a delivery strategy that would look at specific sites and how they could be brought forward. The Study would be brought to the Working Party in due course. 

Councillor Dixon expressed concern that there were no new land allocations in Hoveton.  He stated that it was often the case that a landowner might not be willing to negotiate an acceptable arrangement with a business.  Some businesses that would have located to the District had been lost due to the lack of suitable employment land.   He was not satisfied that enough land had been allocated in the right places to meet future needs, and stated that it was one thing to allocate land but quite another to ensure that it could be delivered when required.

The Senior Planning Officer explained that land could only be allocated if it had been put forward for particular uses.  The strategic needs of the District had been considered and the policies were trying to protect existing employment land and make suitable employment allocations where land was available.  The latest evidence indicated that there would be enough choice and flexibility in each part of the District.  If a business could demonstrate that allocated land was not available, Policy ECN3 would allow it to look outside the designated area.  The policies would allow for flexibility bearing in mind that the employment market was likely to change in the short to medium term.  They would provide flexibility to allow employment outside the designated areas whilst designating employment areas in the most sustainable areas where land had been put forward.

The Planning Policy Manager reiterated that Policy ECN3 would allow the flexibility that Councillor Dixon was arguing for.  The new policies had moved to a more permissive approach to employment generating proposals which were not on employment land, and had deliberately addressed the problem in Hoveton and Cromer where employment land was at a premium.  He did not advise allocating a large number of employment sites all over the District, which would require a further call for sites and constrain employment opportunities to designated sites.  On large mixed use allocations in Holt, North Walsham and Fakenham there was a mechanism to link delivery of employment land in a phased way alongside residential development.  Land would be made available on good commercial terms in locations where it was more likely to be taken up.

Councillor Dixon stated that he did not wish to see land allocated randomly around the District, but considered that the Council should be pressing for more mixed allocations to produce land where it was needed and where mixed schemes were more likely to be delivered.  He sought assurance that there would be greater flexibility and use of that mechanism in the future.

The Chairman stated that the Senior Planning Officer had demonstrated that there was flexibility in ECN3 and that the matter had been addressed. 

Councillor P Heinrich stated that he was satisfied that there would be sufficient employment land as part of the mixed use proposals for the western side of North Walsham, which was greatly needed.  He asked if sufficient consideration had been given to attracting footloose industries that would appreciate the environment, particularly small scale workshops, studio space, flexible office space and shared workspaces, and if the policies would enable it to happen.

The Senior Planning Officer stated that this issue had been discussed with the consultants that had undertaken the study, and they were satisfied that there would be enough flexibility to allow such uses to come forward.

The Planning Policy Manager explained that the policies under discussion were largely focused on industrial estate type development.  Other services were accommodated in supporting economic development policies that would allow for the type of development referred to by Councillor Heinrich.

Councillor Mrs L Withington requested clarification as to the status of the Kingsland site at Sheringham.  The Planning Policy Manager stated that he understood the land would remain as employment land but he would confirm directly to Councillor Mrs Withington following the meeting.

Councillor Mrs P Grove-Jones stated that there were a number of large industrial sites around Stalham that were starting to come forward through the planning process, whereas development of workshops on the mixed use sites in the town had not taken place as people were not prepared or able to build the units

It was proposed by Councillor P Heinrich, seconded by Councillor Mrs P Grove-Jones and

RECOMMENDED by 8 votes to 0 with 2 abstentions

That Cabinet endorses the revised Policies ECN1: Employment Land, ECN2: Employment Areas, Enterprise Zones & Former Airbases, and ECN 3: Employment Development Outside of Employment Areas, and delegates responsibility for drafting such an approach, including that of finalising the associated policies and policies mapping, to the Planning Policy Manager.