EXMOOR NATIONAL PARK EMPLOYMENT LAND REVIEW Published by ENPA November 2009 1 Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners Ltd 1st Floor, Westville House Fitzalan Court Cardiff CF24 0EL Offices also in T 029 2043 5880 London F 029 2049 4081 Manchester Newcastle upon Tyne [email protected] www.nlpplanning.com Contents2 Executive Summary 5 1.0 INTRODUCTION 11 Scope of the Study 11 The Implications of Exmoor’s Status as a National Park 13 Methodology 15 Report Structure 18 2.0 Local Context 19 Geographical Context 19 Population 21 Economic Activity 22 Distribution of Employees by Sector 25 Qualifications 28 Deprivation 29 Commuting Patterns 32 Businesses 36 Conclusion 36 3.0 Policy Context 37 Planning Policy Context 37 Economic Policy Context 42 Conclusion 48 4.0 The Current Stock of Employment Space 50 Existing Stock of Employment Floorspace 50 Existing Employment Land Provision 55 Conclusion 61 5.0 Consultation 63 Agent Interviews 63 Stakeholder Consultation 65 Business Consultation 68 Previous Consultation Exercises 73 Conclusion 80 6.0 Qualitative Assessment of Existing Employment Sites 81 Conclusion 90 7.0 The Future Economy of Exmoor National Park 92 Establishing an Economic Strategy 92 Influences upon the Economy 93 Key Sectors 95 1 30562/517407v2 Conclusion 97 8.0 Future Need for Employment Space 99 Employment Growth 99 Employment Based Space Requirements 105 Planning Requirement for Employment Land 112 9.0 The Role of Non-B Class Sectors in the Local Economy 114 Introduction 114 Agriculture 114 Public Sector Services 119 Retail 122 10.0 The Role of Tourism in the Local Economy 124 Policies and Strategies 124 The Importance of Tourism 128 Past Initiatives 133 Comparative Analysis 134 Analysis 141 11.0 Conclusions and Recommendations 144 The Local Context 144 Existing Employment Locations 145 The Future Economy of Exmoor 145 Future Employment Levels 146 Employment Based Space Requirements 147 Recommendations 149 12.0 ELR Bibliography 151 30562/517407v2517407_2.DOC 2 Figures2 Fig 1 Context of Exmoor National Park 20 Fig 2 Location Quotients 25 Fig 3 Deprivation 31 Fig 4 Exmoor Out-commuting Pattern 34 Fig 5 Exmoor In-commuting Pattern 35 Fig 6 Business Space in Exmoor by Type and Location - Floorspace 53 Fig 7 Business Space in Exmoor by Type and Location - No. Units 53 Fig 8 Average Unit Size 55 Fig 9 Planning permissions relating to employment uses granted in Exmoor by type, 2000-2008 56 Fig 10 Planning permissions granted in Exmoor by type, 2000-2008 57 Fig 11 Comparison of planning permissions granted in Exmoor, 2000-2008: conversions and new build 58 Fig 12 Loss Changes of Use to Housing in Exmoor National Park, 2000-2008 60 Fig 13 Loss Changes of Use to Housing in Exmoor National Park by type, 2000-2008 61 Fig 14 Respondents Make Up 70 Fig 15 Size of Unit 75 Fig 16 Very Good Sites 87 Fig 17 Good Sites 88 Fig 18 Average Sites 89 Fig 19 Poor Sites 90 Fig 20 Employment Change in Exmoor, 2006-26 102 Fig 21 Percentage Change in Exmoor Employment, 2006-26 103 Tables Table 1 Definition of B Class Employment Sectors 12 Table 4 Land Use in Exmoor by Area 21 Table 5 Population Change between 1991 and 2001 21 Table 6 Percentage of Economically Active People 16-74 23 Table 7 Percentage of Economically Active People 23 Table 8 Percentage of Economically Inactive People 24 Table 9 Percentage of Employees by Sector 26 Table 10 Qualifications expressed as % of total working age population 29 Table 11 SWOT Analysis for Exmoor National Park's Economic Profile 36 Table 12 Postcode Sectors within Exmoor National Park 51 Table 13 Breakdown of Employment Space in Exmoor 52 3 30562/517407v2 Table 14 Breakdown of Employment Floorspace by Size of Units 54 Table 15 Home Working in Exmoor 74 Table 16 Respondent Make Up 76 Table 17 Size of Business 77 Table 18 Constraints 78 Table 19 Site Assessment Criteria 83 Table 20 Ranking of Employment Sites 86 Table 21 Employment Change in Exmoor, 2006-16 and 2006-26 102 Table 22 Jobs to Floorspace Ratios 107 Table 23 Gross Employment Floorspace/Land Requirements in Exmoor, 2006-2026 108 Table 24 Gross Employment Floorspace/Land Requirements in Exmoor, 2006-2026 110 Table 25 Alternative Scenario Employment Floorspace/Land Requirements in Exmoor, 2006-2026 111 Table 26 Alternative Scenario Employment Floorspace /Land Requirements in Exmoor, 2006-2026 111 Table 27 Employment Change in Healthcare and Education Sectors in Exmoor, 2006-26 121 Table 28 Projection - Percentage Change, 2006-2026 122 Table 29 Length of Visitor Stay and Spend 128 Table 30 Value from Domestic and Overseas Tourists 129 Table 31 Estimates of Visitor Numbers and Expenditure in Exmoor National Park 130 Table 32 Estimated Breakdown of Visitor Numbers and Expenditure in Exmoor National Park in 2007 (Global Tourism Solutions (UK) Ltd) 131 Table 33 Employment Growth in Hotels and Catering 132 Table 34 National Park Facts and Figures 135 Table 35 Strategic Relationships 136 Table 36 Employment Change in Exmoor, 2006-16 and 2006-26 147 Table 37 Gross Employment Floorspace/Land Requirements in Exmoor, 2006-2026 148 Appendices Appendix 1 Site Assessment Scores 153 Appendix 2 Site Assessment Location Plans 154 Appendix 3 Experian Economic Sectors by Sic Category 155 Appendix 4 Experian Business Strategy Forecasts 158 30562/517407v2517407_2.DOC 4 Executive Summary Introduction 1 This study, prepared by Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners (NLP), is intended to assist Exmoor National Park Authority in its assessment of the anticipated future direction of the economy. In so doing, it will inform its decision making process regarding the identification and development of land in order to achieve its economic aspirations and to meet future employment purposes. 2 The overall approach that was adopted in undertaking this Employment Land Review was largely based upon the DCLG Guidance Note (2004) on Employment Land Reviews although the scope of the study was extended to take account of other (non-B Class) economic activities due to their dominance within the local area. A key input into the study was engagement with various stakeholders such as agents and local businesses. The Local Context 3 Exmoor National Park is a small, rural area that forms part of North Devon District and West Somerset District. The study has found that the area has a number of defining characteristics which have significantly influenced the growth of the economy within this area. 4 In particular, the area has a high proportion of older people due to the relative attractiveness of Exmoor as a retirement location. There is also a high proportion of self-employed people which directly reflects the nature of the economy which is dominated by small-scale businesses. 5 Not only is Exmoor’s economy dominated by small scale businesses, it is also focused upon a number of key non-B Class sectors such as tourism, agriculture and the public services. As such, traditional employment (B Class) sectors are substantially less significant within Exmoor than in neighbouring authorities, the South West or England. It is anticipated that this trend will continue in the future and that it will exert a considerable influence upon the requirements for B Class employment land in the future. 6 This composition of employment in non-B Class uses was found to reflect the current supply of employment land in Exmoor with the level of B Class employment space and the rate of new B Class employment development being relatively limited. However, there is no overriding evidence to indicate that this composition of employment facilities is undermining Exmoor’s economy but rather that a balance between the supply and demand of such workspace appears to have been achieved. 30562/517407v2517407_2.DOC 5 Existing Employment Locations 7 The study assessed 45 B Class employment sites in the National Park using a Site Assessment Criteria matrix which allowed scores between 1 and 5 (1 = poor, 5 = very good) to be awarded for a variety of issues relating to location, access, quality, market factors and local context. 8 Using these criteria, the quality of the existing portfolio was found to be relatively high with 60% of sites reviewed as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ and only 13% classed as being of ‘poor’ quality. Location was seen to be one of the biggest influencing factors to the perceived quality of sites with accessibility, market attractiveness and access to services and labour particularly important factors. 9 The study recommends that none of the existing sites should be released for non-B Class purposes and instead consideration should be given as to how the viability of the sites can be maintained and enhanced to ensure they are able to make a valuable contribution to the local economy. In addition, future LDF policies should seek to protect existing employment land from redevelopment. The Future Economy of Exmoor 10 The study considered the current economic climate and its likely impact upon Exmoor’s economy and concluded that the recession was unlikely to affect Exmoor as severely as other areas although this does not mean that it will remain unaffected. In the long term, Exmoor’s economy will continue to be dominated by small scale activities and non-B Class activities will continue to be particularly important. The importance of non-B Class sectors as a component of the local economy is emphasised throughout the report. 11 The National Park Authority must seek to promote and encourage key (B and non-B Class) sectors to locate within Exmoor’s settlements which offer the most appropriate locations for future business activities. 12 Opportunities for increased activity were found to exist in the following key sectors in the National Park: i Agriculture; ii Tourism; iii The processing of agricultural / forestry products; iv Traditional building; v Environmental sector / environmental technologies; vi Lifestyle businesses; and, vii Knowledge based and creative business.