Employment Land Review
The Employment Land Review forms part of the evidence base for the production of the Local Plan. The form and content of the documents that comprise the Employment Land Review have been compiled in order to be consistent with advice issued by Central Government and contained within; Employment Land Reviews: Guidance Note (2004). The bulk of the work that informed the Employment Land Review was carried out prior to the publication of; PPS 4: Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth (2009), but the guidance contained within this document does not significantly conflict with the assumptions included as part of the Review.
The Employment Land Review provides an assessment of existing industrial estates, enterprise parks and other concentrations of primarily non-retail businesses and, land that potentially could be allocated for employment use in the future. It provides analysis of past supply and demand, looking at trends and changes in the type and nature of local businesses and employment.
It also provides a general assessment of development of particular use classes (B.1 – Light industrial, Commercial Office and, Research & Development; B.2 – General Industrial; and, B.8 Storage and Warehousing), including an indicative projection of the amount of future land that may be required in the future to meet anticipated demand.
The sites assessed for their potential use for employment in the future that have not been previously developed, have been done on the basis of ‘no commitment' on the part of Council. Just because a piece of land has been considered through this process, it does not imply that it would receive planning consent for employment uses should a planning application then be submitted. The information contained in the Employment Land Review will inform and influence the strategy, policy and their justification included in subsequent LDF documents.