and ancillary to employment uses outside of the town centre will also be supported.
- There will be a strong emphasis on protecting and enhancing the economic function of the Employment Areas as shown on the Policies Map, providing a wide choice of premises and ensuring that a broad range of businesses can locate in and across the borough. Employment areas within the Green Belt also have an important role in supporting the local economy and will continue to be protected.
- Warehousing uses or uses which generate high levels of movement must be located in close proximity to the Primary Route Network and minimise impacts on residential areas.
Explanation
- A key priority of the One Stockport Economic Plan is to ensure that high quality sites and premises for business and employment growth are of the right type and in the right locations. The majority of Stockport's future growth is forecast to be within high value, knowledge intensive and office-based employment and with only 12% of current office space being Grade A or B this could impact Stockport's competitiveness. The drive is to improve the quality of the borough's commercial offer, and the continued development of Stockport Exchange as the borough's high quality office destination is key. The development includes some of the borough's most significant employers, including BASF plc, Vitality and musicMagpie.
- The policy is intended to support the growth of existing businesses as well as new sectors. Currently, 74% of the businesses based in the borough employ less than four people, and so the council will seek to ensure the conditions are in place to allow our smaller enterprises to adapt and flourish on their existing sites without being forced to move outside of the borough.
- Located alongside an area of high deprivation, the Mayoral Development Corporation is recognised within the One Stockport Economic Plan as being crucial in delivering significant growth and regeneration investment where it is most needed, ensuring that local people are the primary beneficiaries of growth.
- At its heart, the Exchange Quarter, one of the Town Centre Policy Areas in policy
STC 2, will provide the necessary quality of commercial offer in a highly accessible
location.
- The 8-phase Stockport Exchange is a crucial segment of the regeneration programme for the town, representing £145 million of public and private sector investment into the local economy and delivering approximately 4,475 FTE jobs across a range of skill levels. Offering ease of access to town centre facilities and a station on the west coast mainline, the site is unrivalled as a business location in Greater Manchester, providing large and flexible Grade A floorspace to attract a