employment uses and the compatibility of the proposed use with use of adjacent land for employment purposes; and
- b.one or both of the following two criteria are met:
- i.the site or wider employment area is specifically identified as being appropriate for alternative uses in a plan or strategy that has been subject to public consultation and formally endorsed by the council; and
- ii.the site and premises have been subject to a detailed market appraisal over a period of at least 12 months that clearly demonstrates there is no current or likely future demand for employment.
Explanation
- The NPPF notes that strategic sites should be identified for local and inward investment to meet anticipated needs over the plan period.
- During the period covered by this Local Plan, it is anticipated that some existing sites and areas that are in existing employment use and those allocated as being suitable for employment development may be unable to retain and attract business uses due to constraints relating to their location and the quality of accommodation. The release of such sites for other uses may be considered appropriate, which could create an additional source of housing land.
- The NPPF also notes the need to be flexible to accommodate needs not anticipated. The Employment Land Review recommends that non-traditional employment uses that generate employment may make an important contribution to the local economy and therefore their merits should be taken into account to see if the benefits are capable of outweighing any harm to the Employment Area. Alternative uses that may be acceptable on their merits include complementary commercial and leisure uses that provide a service to local firms or people working in the area, such as indoor sports facilities, food and drink outlets of a modest scale, hotels and day nurseries.
- The NPPF requires that planning policies should, amongst other things, identify suitable locations for development that meets the needs of the modern economy, including data centres.
- It is important that the potential release of employment sites for alternative uses is carefully controlled to ensure that sites and areas which are identified in this Local Plan as key to delivering the economic growth of Stockport are not compromised. The council will consider proposals for loss of employment uses against the aims of Strategic Policy 1 to ensure that there would be no detrimental effects on our ability to meet development needs and deliver our climate action commitments.