Other employment sites

EC2: Other employment sites 1. This policy applies to sites which are not listed in Appendix L (Strategic and Key Employment areas) and above 1000sqm/0.25ha. These sites include existing lawful employment premises in Use Classes B2, B8 and E(g), plus relevant sui generis uses. 2. Development proposals for the intensification and regeneration of other employment sites for employment generating uses will be supported. For the purposes of this policy, employment uses comprise Use Classes E(g), B2 and B8 of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 as amended by subsequent legislation, together with relevant sui generis employment uses. 3. Development proposals for the change of these employment uses to non-employment generating uses may be permitted provided that: a) The site has been robustly marketed for employment use suitable to the site and location for a continuous period of 18 months with no viable interest; and the premises must remain available to potential occupiers throughout the marketing period unless robustly justified. b) The marketing must have been carried out prior to submitting the planning application. c) The price or rental value of the site in the marketing exercise and the other marketing particulars and methods are appropriate to an employment use. d) Marketing should be related to the tenancy or ownership status of the site. e) If a site is marketed while it is occupied the evidence should cover why the site is not needed for its lawful uses or purpose. f) Any employment – generating businesses affected by the proposals can be relocated to alternative premises so that viable businesses are not affected; and g) The development will not prejudice the efficient and effective employment use of the remainder of the site. 4. The size, location and type of the existing and proposed uses will also be taken into consideration, including whether a proposed use generates employment or whether an existing employment use has significant adverse impacts on local amenity which cannot be mitigated. 5. This policy applies to existing lawful employment sites within urban and rural areas. 7.78 Development proposals which help deliver good quality premises attractive to the market are important to local economic growth. It is accepted that some changes to current employment sites will be needed so that stock can be renewed, regeneration / mixed use schemes can proceed and so that Buckinghamshire’s employment stock is attractive to the market. 7.79 The threshold of 1,000 sqm of floorspace, or 0.25 hectares, has been selected to provide a clear and proportionate distinction between smaller employment sites and the larger employment sites that make a more significant contribution to Buckinghamshire’s employment land supply. The Buckinghamshire Employment Land Review used a threshold of 0.25 hectares when assessing employment sites across the county, reflecting established practice in employment land evidence studies and ensuring consistency with the Local Plan evidence base. 7.80 Sites above this threshold are of a scale that can accommodate a range of employment activities, provide opportunities for intensification and regeneration, and make a meaningful contribution to meeting wider employment land needs. Smaller sites, whilst still economically important, often serve a different function in supporting SMEs, start-up businesses and local service providers and are therefore addressed separately through Policy EC3. The parallel floorspace threshold of 1,000 sqm provides a practical measure for sites where land area may not accurately reflect the scale or intensity of employment activity, ensuring the policy captures larger employment premises regardless of site configuration. 7.81 It is important that the policy is sufficiently flexible to avoid long term vacancies which in themselves can undermine interest in an area. This is especially important in town centre locations. Combining residential, commercial, and employment spaces can create vibrant, sustainable communities. Developments which facilitate a better working environment on the sites are also within the scope of the policy for ancillary facilities, e.g. for healthy food opportunities, green space and active travel. 7.82 If businesses are proposed to be relocated, they should ideally be within Buckinghamshire, dependent on their specific circumstances to ensure that their contribution to the local economy continues. This policy applies to the loss of employment within Buckinghamshire, in rural and urban areas.