Wembley Area Action Plan
Economic Development and Employment Land in Wembley
August 2012
Introduction
This paper sets out background information in support of the review of policy in the Area Action Plan (AAP) relating to employment development in the area and the future of the SIL. The draft policies in the AAP seek to achieve a balance between promoting regeneration and economic development and the need to protect and make land available for uses, such as waste management, which are essential for this part of London to function as a sustainable community.
National Planning Policy Framework
The NPPF emphasises that the planning system, in fulfilling an economic role, should be “contributing to building a strong, responsive and competitive economy, by ensuring that sufficient land of the right type is available in the right places and at the right time to support growth and innovation.”
Core Planning Principles set out in the NPPF, which should underpin both plan-making and decision - taking, include: • encourage the effective use of land by reusing land that has been previously developed (brownfield land); and • promote mixed use developments
To help achieve economic growth, local planning authorities should plan proactively to meet the development needs of business and support an economy fit for the 21st century.
Planning policies should avoid the long term protection of sites allocated for employment use where there is no reasonable prospect of a site being used for that purpose. Land allocations should be regularly reviewed. Where there is no reasonable prospect of a site being used for the allocated employment use, applications for alternative uses of land or buildings should be treated on their merits having regard to market signals and the relative need for different land uses to support sustainable local communities.
London Plan, July 2011
Key policies in the London Plan for promoting economic development and the use of industrial land are contained in chapter 2 on London’s Places and chapter 4 on London’s Economy.
London’s Places
Wembley is identified as an Opportunity Area and Strategic Industrial Location in the London Plan. The Opportunity Area status is in recognition of the regeneration potential of the area, particularly with new housing and leisure related development as well as eastward expansion of the town centre. The potential for a new school as well as a Civic Facility is recognised. It is also identified in policy 2.16 as a Strategic Outer London Development Centre where strategic economic functions of greater than sub-regional significance should be promoted. There should be a minimum of 11,500 new homes and the indicative employment capacity is 11,000.
The Strategic Industrial Location is focused on the industrial estate to the east of the Stadium. Policy 2.17 of the London Plan seeks to protect these locations as London’s main reservoirs of industrial and related capacity. The policy also makes it clear that SILs should be identified, and local polices developed for them, in preparing LDFs. The boundaries of SILs in Brent were last reviewed as part of the preparation of the Core Strategy, adopted in July 2010.
London’s Economy
Amongst other things, policy 4.1 of the London Plan seeks to promote and enable the continued development of a strong, sustainable and increasingly diverse economy across all parts of London.
Policy 4.4 on Managing Industrial Land and Premises states that “ the Mayor will work with boroughs..…to ensure a sufficient stock of land and premises to meet the future needs of different types of industrial and related uses in different parts of London ” as well as to “plan, monitor and manage release of surplus industrial land …” Policy goes on to say that “ LDFs should demonstrate how the borough stock of industrial land and premises will be planned and managed in local circumstances ….” subject to a number of considerations including “… the potential for surplus industrial land to help meet strategic and local requirements for a mix of other uses …” Brent is grouped as a borough where limited release of industrial land to other uses is appropriate.
Policy which is also relevant to Wembley includes 4.5 on London’s Visitor Infrastructure which states that LDFs should “ promote and facilitate development of a range of visitor accommodation ….”, and Policy 4.6 on Arts, Culture, Sport and Entertainment Provision which asks boroughs through LDFs “ to promote and develop existing and new cultural and visitor attractions… .” In furtherance of this policy Wembley is identified as one of only 9 Strategic Cultural Areas in London.
Brent’s Core Strategy
The Core Strategy, adopted in July 2010, was the last time Employment Land was reviewed across the Borough. The review of land at that time was based upon an Employment Land Demand Study undertaken on behalf of the Borough by URS in 2009. Some relatively small areas of land were de- designated as Locally Significant Employment Sites at that time, whilst policy to protect both SIL and LSESs was adopted as policy CP21 reflecting the requirements of the London Plan.
Policy for Wembley in CP7 states that “ Wembley will drive the economic regeneration of Brent. ” The target for new jobs is 10,000 across a range of sectors including retail, offices, conference facilities, hotels, sports, leisure, tourism and visitor attractors, creative and cultural industries and education facilities.
Brent Employment Land Demand Study, 2009
This concluded that “ Gross demand for employment land within the Borough is expected to remain relatively strong until 2026 ” but qualified this by stating that “ limited and carefully managed adjustments should be made in the net release of employment land through planning policy and allocations over this time period ”.
In terms of the amount of land that was considered could be released the study recommended that, “There is the potential for the release of 19 to 33 hectares of land in industrial uses, to other uses including some potential office use, outside designated employment areas between 2006 and 2016”.
Although it was expected that not all of the industrial land that could be released would be in protected areas, inevitably this would involve the de-designation of some “protected” employment land. In total, about 9 hectares of land was de-designated as Locally Significant Employment Sites when the Core Strategy was adopted in 2010. No SIL was de-designated.
Employment Land Surveys
All SIL and LSISs were surveyed in 2009 after the finalisation of the Employment Land Demand study. In total there was 92 hectares of land that was either vacant land or vacant units. This comprised 31% of all land designated for protection in Brent. No further borough-wide surveys have been undertaken since 2009. There is no evidence to suggest that the situation, in terms of the amount of vacant land and property available, has changed significantly since. The large undeveloped sites such as the former Guinness brewery and Twyford Tip remain vacant and surveys of Wembley and Neasden (see below) show that the level of vacant land and property in these locations has remained relatively stable.
Employment Land by Area, Brent SIL & LSISs 2009
SIL Total land Area (H) Vacant (H) % Vacant Park Royal 120 56 47 Staples Corner 36 6 17 Wembley 24 7 29 Neasden 38 3 8 East Lane 18 10 36
Total SIL 23 6 82 35
LSIS Alperton 29 4 14 Brentfield 4 0 0 Church End 9 0.5 6 Colindale 7 3 43 Cricklewood 1 0 0 Honeypot Lane 5 1 20 Kingsbury 6 1.5 25 Neasden Lane 3 0.5 25
Total LSIS 64 10.5 16
Total Protected 298 92.5 31 Industrial Land
Wembley and Neasden, 2012
To inform the review of policy in the Wembley Area Action Plan, further surveys of the Wembley and Neasden SILs were undertaken in early 2012. A comparison of these surveys with 2006 and 2009 are set out in the tables below.
When taken together, the Wembley / Neasden SIL has shown a 25% increase in vacancy levels between 2006 and 2010 so that it now makes up 17% of the land area. Vacancy levels are higher (28%) in the Wembley part of the SIL to the west of the area, i.e. furthest from the North Circular Road.
The “Other” category is comprised mainly of the two large retail stores in the area, IKEA and Tesco and the area of land in this category has, therefore, remained relatively constant over the 6 years at almost 12 hectares.
The uses showing the largest growth are Waste, Aggregates and Open storage which show an increase of 2.6 hectares or 25%. This is mainly down to the development of a new waste management facility (Seneca) at Hannah Close. Since the survey in early 2012 the Generay waste facility at First Way / Fifth Way (0.26h) has ceased operation so the site is now vacant.
The most significant decline is in the level of warehousing / storage in the area, which has fallen by 5 hectares or 23%.
Wembley SIL
2006 2009 201 2
Land Area (H) % Land Area (H) % Land Area (H) %
Warehousing 7.29 31 6.03 26 6.65 28 Industry 2.99 13 3.49 15 3.72 16 Waste /Open Storage 2.40 10 1.79 8 1.82 8 Office 1.89 8 1.46 6 1.30 5 Car Repair 0.95 4 0.85 4 0.92 4 Parking 1.14 5 1.92 8 1.92 8 Other 0.97 4 0.74 3 0.69 3 Vacant 5.86 25 7.23 31 6.52 28
Total 23.49 100 23.51 100 23.54 100
Neasden SIL
2006 2009 201 2
Land Area (H) % Land Area (H) % Land Area % (H) Warehousing 14.95 39 13.51 35 10.58 28 Industry 2.31 6 1.99 5 1.94 5 Waste /Open Storage/ 5.49 14 6.68 17 8.7 23 Aggregates Office 1.69 4 1.18 3 1.58 4 Car Repair / Petrol FS 1.16 3 0.82 2 0.62 2 Parking ------Other 10.78 28 11.11 29 11.11 29 Vacant 1.87 5 2.96 8 3.74 10
Total 38.25 100 38.25 100 38.26 100
Wembley /Neasden SIL
2006 2009 201 2
Land % Land Area % Land Area % Area (H) (H) (H)
Warehousing 22.24 36 19.44 31 17.23 28 Industry 5.3 9 5.48 9 5.66 9 Waste /Open Storage/ 7.89 13 8.47 14 10.52 17 Aggregates Office 3.58 6 2.64 4 2.88 5 Car Repair / Petrol FS 2.11 3 1.67 3 1.54 2 Parking 1.14 2 1.92 3 1.92 3 Other 11.75 19 11.85 19 11.8 19 Vacant 7.73 12 10.19 16 10.26 17
Total 61.74 100 61.76 100 61.80 100
Wembley Area Action Plan
The land proposed to be de-designated in the Area Action Plan Preferred Options document comprises two sites totalling 2.4 hectares. One of the sites on South Way (1.2 hectares) is in use as a car park for Wembley Stadium on event days whilst the other is a warehouse, Euro Car Parts, on Fulton Road and an adjacent vacant plot. This site is also 1.2 hectares.
The de-designation of both sites is desirable because a more regular boundary with the main regeneration area to the west can be achieved. This will help to minimise the potential impact of industrial or related uses on the regeneration area where a mix of uses, including residential, is being developed and promoted. In particular, the site opposite Euro Car Parts on Fulton Road has been acquired for the development of a Primary School in the future to meet the demand for school places as the local population increases. It is important that the local environment is improved for the school to be brought forward.
Wembley / Neasden SIL - areas proposed to be de-designated shown in blue
Conclusions
As acknowledged in the London Plan, it is down to boroughs, in reviewing local plan policy, to determine the precise boundaries of SIL. It is considered that there are sound reasons, including the need to promote regeneration and provide an appropriate environment for adjacent sensitive uses, for the two plots of land to be de-designated as SIL as proposed.
To put the quantum of land in context, this comprises only 0.8% of the total SIL land area in the borough, 31% of which was vacant in 2009. Additionally, it is on the western edge of an industrial estate where 28% of the land area is either vacant land or vacant buildings. In light of revised national planning policy set out in the National Planning Policy Framework, it is considered appropriate to review the boundary of the SIL as proposed through the Development Plan review process, i.e. the Wembley Area Action Plan.