Area Action Plan Mole Valley District Council Local Development Framework Dorking Town Area Action Plan (AAP) Draft Plan Industrial and Commercial Land Review: Update March 2011 January 2012 Mole Valley Local Development Framework This document can be made available in large print, on audio cassette, in Braille and in other languages 1 Executive Summary Chapter 1 Executive Summary 1.1 The Dorking Commercial and Industrial Land Review has been prepared to support the policy approach in the Dorking Town Area Action Plan. This document provides an update from the February 2011 review. The updates include occupancy rates, responses from the consultation in February/March 2011 and information on Dorking's market conditions. Updating the February Dorking Industrial and Commercial Land Review 1.2 In July 2011 the Council commissioned a local commercial land agent to undertake an assessment of Industrial and Commercial Land within Dorking. As part of this they provided a critique of the Council's February 2011 Dorking Industrial and Commercial Land Review. This assessment has been used to produce the Dorking Industrial and Commercial Land Review update 1.3 The brief for the work was to identify: 1. Comment on the Council's information on outstanding planning permissions, vacant premises and take-up and whether data, sources used and methodologies are robust. 2. Comment on the Council's conclusions on the quality and condition of the existing commercial and industrial building stock in the town (chapters 4, 10 and 11) 3. Comment and provide an update on the conclusions made in Chapter 6 (current issues affecting employment in Dorking). Include information and evidence where possible on the current state of the Dorking Commercial and Industrial premises that may become available and the type of accommodation that should be planned for that would meet the requirements of the existing firms moving within the town and those who might wish to move into the town. 4. Provide a commentary setting out an element of forward looking which can be used to update the DICLR. This should include a review of the supply and type of commercial and industrial premises that may become available and the type of accommodation that should be planned for that would meet the requirements of existing firms moving within the town and those who might wish to move into the town. 5. Include a commentary on the likely demand for industrial premises over the short to medium term (i.e. The next 5 years), including the type and size of firms. 6. To review the representations made on the DICLR Feb 2011 and to comment on them. 7. In light of the above work, comment on the conclusions of site assessments and summary and conclusions. Recommended any revisions to these conclusions based on new information and evidence. 8. Review and critique of the economic assessment and conclusions prepared by Hurst Warne in support of the proposed redevelopment of Vincent Works by Lidl/Persimmon Homes. 9. Review and critique of the conclusions of the Economic Development and Employment Land Statement prepared by Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners in support of the planning application for the retail development of commercial and industrial land at Station Road/Curtis Road. Conclusions of the Dorking Industrial and Commercial Land Review: Update March 2011 1.4 The DICLR has been revised to have regard to comments made by the commercial land agent. 1.5 The principle findings of DICLR paper are as follows: There is estimated to be approximately 141,000sqm of office, industrial and storage floorspace in the town. Of this, 59,000 sqm comprises industrial and storage floorspace in approximately 172 premises. The office market is difficult and there are vacancies across the board with a possible exception of some serviced space. Offices above shops have been difficult to let but this is partly Mole Valley Local Development Framework Dorking Industrial & Commercial Land Review: Updated March 2011 2 Executive Summary a result of the very poor market for offices and partly the lack of parking and other amenities. At the same time the growth of the serviced sector has met some of the needs of the market particularly for smaller space and flexibility of terms. In March 2011 there was estimated to be only 1,623sqm of vacant industrial and storage floorspace in Dorking. There is approximately 10,500 sqm of vacant office floorspace in the town, excluding those at the Vincent Works site in Vincent Lane which is the subject of redevelopment proposals. The majority of the vacant office floorspace is in DorkingBusinessPark and in medium to small premises in the town centre. Over the the last 10 years the number of available industrial/storage units in Dorking has remained low and there has been a generally high level of occupancy. This is evidenced by sites such as Vincent Walk, Havenbury Estate and Curtis Road Industrial Area being generally fully occupied for many years. There have been very few new commercial and industrial units built in Dorking over recent years apart from the ten recently redeveloped and refurbished units at the Glebeland Centre in Vincent Lane which range from 70 sqm to 325 sqm. All ten units are now occupied. The 2.2 ha of land to the west of the Curtis Road Industrial estate which was allocated for industrial, commercial, storage and distribution development in the Mole Valley Local Plan was granted planning permission for 8,994 sqm of B2 and ancillary floorspace to meet the expansion requirements of Johnston Sweepers who occupy the adjoining site. Work on the development of the site for Johnstons Sweepers has not yet started. Apart from the Johnston Sweepers site, there are no outstanding planning permissions for industrial and storage development in Dorking. Local commercial property agents have indicated there is a demand for industrial and commercial units in Dorking. Typically the demand is from small local firms and start up businesses looking for basic industrial premises suitable for flexible industrial/storage use with good access and parking. Indeed in Autumn 2010 the small industrial/storage and office units on The Old Waterworks off Station Road, became vacant. By the end of March 2011 all three of the industrial/storage units had been re-let notwithstanding the redevelopment proposals of Morrisons which included the premises. Local commercial property agents have also indicated that local firms have had to leave Dorking due to the lack of suitable available accommodation. Mole Valley Local Development Framework Dorking Industrial & Commercial Land Review: Updated March 2011 Contents 1 Introduction 1 2 Economic Character of Dorking 6 3 Nature of Employment in Dorking 16 4 Quality and Quantity of Office, Industrial and Storage Stock 20 5 The Supply of Land for Office, Industrial and Storage Uses 22 6 Current Issues Affecting Employment in Dorking 30 7 Employment Surveys 31 8 Site Assessments 44 9 Summary and Conclusions 45 Appendices 1 Main Office Locations and Commercial and Industrial Premises in Dorking 47 2 Loss and Potential Loss of Commercial Premises in Dorking since April 2000 53 3 Advertised / Vacant Commercial & Industrial Premises in Dorking, March 2010 57 4 Net Change of Industrial and Commercial Floorspace: Dorking 2000 - 2010 61 5 Outstanding Commercial Permissions at March 2011 62 6 Site Assessments 64 Mole Valley Local Development Framework Dorking Industrial & Commercial Land Review: Updated March 2011 Contents Mole Valley Local Development Framework Dorking Industrial & Commercial Land Review: Updated March 2011 1 Introduction Chapter 1 Introduction Update: March 2011 1.1 The Dorking Industrial and Commercial Land Review was first published in February 2011 and made use of monitoring information at March 2010 and January 2011. The March assessment makes use of monitoring data as at the end of March 2011. Other Changes 1.2 Since the February 2011 DICLR a number of changes have taken place to land at Vincent Works Vincent Lane. 1.3 At the end of August 2011 a prior notification application was approved for the demolition of the buildings on these areas. The application states that demolition started in October 2011, but is yet to be completed. 1.4 In January 2012 an application for a deep discount convenience foodstores was granted on the southern section of Vincent Works. The full granting of permission is still subject to a S106 agreement tying the use of the site to a deep discount store and the agreement by the Council's Development Control Committee on a number of conditions for the application, primarily relating to the stabilisation of the cliff. 1.5 A planning application on land at Station Road Curtis Road for a Convenience foodstore of 3, 197 sqm net was refused in October. Context for the Dorking Industrial and Commercial Land Review 2011 1.6 The Council published a Local Economy and Employment Land Review (LEELR) in November 2008 as part of the evidence base for the preparation of the Mole Valley Core Strategy Development Plan Document (DPD). It was based on monitoring information at March 2008. 1.7 Following the adoption of the Local Development Framework (LDF) Core Strategy the Council commenced the preparation of the Dorking Town Area Action Plan (DTAAP). 1.8 Issues identified in the DTAAP Discussion Paper 2010 included the need to improve the economy and vitality of the town centre, its retail attraction and increasing the retail floorspace for convenience goods sales. 1.9 This assessment focuses on the economic characteristics and functions of Dorking and the nature and supply of commercial and industrial land in the town and its contribution to the delivery of a sustainable local economy. It includes monitoring information updated to the end of March 2011 and commentary on further changes to June 2011.