Background Paper 7 Employment Land January 2018
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Wrexham Local Development Plan BP 07 2013 - 2028 housing open space employment community transport education Employment Land This leafl et is available in accessible formats BP07 Employment Land Wrexham Local Development Plan 2013-2028 Contents 1.0 PURPOSE OF THIS BACKGROUND PAPER ..................................................... 2 2.0 POLICY CONTEXT – NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND LOCAL PLANNING CONTEXT ............................................................................................................ 2 3.0 EMPLOYMENT LAND REVIEW AND WELSH GOVERNMENT POPULATION PROJECTIONS .................................................................................................... 7 4.0 WREXHAM INDUSTRIAL ESTATE .................................................................... 16 5.0 PROPOSED ALLOCATION AT WREXHAM INDUSTRIAL ESTATE ................. 20 6.0 PROTECTION OF EXISTING EMPLOYMENT AREAS ..................................... 26 7.0 Conclusion and Implications for the LDP ............................................................ 27 Appendix 1: Location of Readily Available Employment Sites and Protected Employment Areas .................................................................................................................. 28 Appendix 2: Areas of Search – Strategic Employment Sites (source LDP Preferred Strategy, February 2016) ................................................................................................... 29 Appendix 3: Readily Available Land at Wrexham Industrial Estate ....................................... 30 Appendix 4: List of Protected Employment Sites to be included in the Deposit LDP ............. 31 Appendix 5: Readily Available Supply of Land in WCBC (as of 1 st April 2017) ...................... 34 1 BP07 Employment Land Wrexham Local Development Plan 2013-2028 1.0 PURPOSE OF THIS BACKGROUND PAPER 1.1 This background paper has been prepared to support the deposit Local Development Plan (LDP) 2013-2028. 1.2 The purpose of the paper is to set out the position of the Council in relation to the approach to the allocation of employment land in the LDP, and the protection of existing employment sites. The location and amount of land allocated has an important role to play in relation to the spatial strategy of the Plan (see Background Paper 10 Spatial Strategy and Distribution of Development), and examines the key elements that have informed the proposed employment allocation and protection of existing employment sites. 1.3 Throughout this paper reference will be made to other plans, documents and guidance as appropriate, copies of which can be viewed on the Local Development Plan Consultation Portal at hhtp://wrexhamldpwrexham.gov.uk unless they are referenced directly. 2.0 POLICY CONTEXT – NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND LOCAL PLANNING CONTEXT Planning Policy Wales (PPW) Edition 9 (November 2016) 2.1 Planning Policy Wales states that planning policies for economic development must provide developers and others with scope to make choices to secure the efficient and effective use of resources including land. Plans and decisions must be based on up- to-date and locally specific evidence which demonstrates the suitability of the existing employment land supply in relation to the locational and development requirements of business. Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) are therefore required to undertake, and keep under review, an Employment Land Review. 2.2 PPW underlines the need for using evidence for setting an economic vision and guides development plans to follow a number of processes, including the following selected points: • A broad assessment of anticipated employment change by broad sector and land use; • Targets on land provision for the employment uses (Classes B1-B8), showing net change in land/floorspace for offices and industry/warehousing separately; • Include policies relating to future development on existing employment sites to protect them from inappropriate development; • To encourage the regeneration and re-use of sites which are still suitable and needed for employment; • To control and manage the release of unwanted employment sites to other uses; • Seek to provide the right amount of land and qualitative mix of sites to meet the market demand for economic development uses. 2 BP07 Employment Land Wrexham Local Development Plan 2013-2028 2.3 The economy should also be supported through the planning system adopting a holistic approach and making provision for the needs of the entire economy (including non B class uses such as retail, leisure, health and public services), in addition to traditional employment land uses defined as B1, B2 and B8. Furthermore, more effective working and decision making should be promoted both within and between Local Authorities. LPAs are required to work collaboratively to ensure the respective Employment Land Reviews are undertaken at an appropriate strategic level and to cooperate to ensure that development takes place in the most appropriate locations in Wales even if that is outside of their administrative boundaries. 2.4 PPW also identifies a series of measures which aim to promote diversification in the rural economy including the need for local authorities to encourage the growth of self employment and micro businesses in rural areas by adopting a supportive and flexible approach to home working; adopting a positive approach to development associated with farm diversification in rural areas; and supporting the expansion of existing businesses located in the open countryside provided there are no unacceptable impacts on local amenity. 6 Technical Advice Note (TAN) 23: Economic Development (2014) 2.5 TAN 23 provides guidance on economic development and the role that the planning system plays in the success of the Welsh Economy. The guidance recognises the importance of the economy as a whole, identifying a positive approach to delivery of economic development and how benefits of economic development should be considered alongside social and environmental considerations. The TAN provides guidance for LPAs on: • Developing high level economic planning objectives; • Assessing the economic benefits of new development; • Economic development and the rural economy; • Preparing an evidence base for a LDP; • Creating an economic development vision for a LDP; and • Determining employment land supply. 2.6 The TAN refers to the economic benefits associated with new development and refers development to the most appropriate locations, suggesting a sequential test to assess locations. Similarly, a test is also applied to clarify and balance the economic, social and environmental impacts of development. 2.7 LPAs are required to work on a regional basis, recognising that market forces do not operate within local authority boundaries. Strategic planning therefore will identify the most appropriate locations for development and joint working to produce a common evidence base is encouraged. 2.8 The TAN considers the wide range of economic activities that can be sustainably accommodated in rural areas, recognising their contribution to sustaining communities 3 BP07 Employment Land Wrexham Local Development Plan 2013-2028 and addressing the specific needs of established businesses. The use, re-use and adaption of existing rural buildings can play an important role in meeting rural employment land and advises that LPAs should have a positive approach to business re-use. 2.9 Development plans must be informed by a robust evidence base, collated at both the regional and local level. LPAs are expected to identify a broad vision for their Plan which is consistent with housing and other aspirations of their Development Plan. 2.10 Development plan employment land targets should aim to ensure that planning meets the demand for land and does not constrain economic growth through a shortage of land. Land provision targets maybe higher than anticipated demand to account for assessments being too low, to ensure no opportunities are missed and to allow for flexibility, choice and competition. Persistent oversupply of employment land however may cause harm where employment sites remain vacant for long periods and frustrate development for other land uses. Technical Advice Note (TAN) 6: Planning for Sustainable Rural Communities (2010) 2.11 TAN 6 states that LPAs should support the diversification of the rural economy as a way to provide local employment opportunities, increase local economic prosperity and minimise the need to travel for employment. The TAN identifies a range of issues which the development plan should consider and address including the identification of a diverse range of sites suitable for employment use, farm diversification and encouraging the growth of self- employment and micro-business by adopting a supportive approach to home-based working. The Wales Spatial Plan Update: People, Places, Futures (2008) 2.12 The Wales Spatial Plan (WSP) (2008 update) identifies Wrexham Town as a Key Settlement of National Importance, located within the Wrexham, Chester, Deeside Hub. Wrexham Town is also a Key Regeneration Area and the Wrexham Industrial Estate is identified as a Key Business Sector Area. National connectivity from the County Borough into the adjoining area of Cheshire West and Chester is significant, with the strategy for North East Wales aiming ‘to bring together distinct elements of the cross-border area of Flintshire, Wrexham and West Cheshire’. Key elements which have particular economic relevance for realising the vision for NE Wales