‘EMPLOYMENT LAND IN CANTERBURY DISTRICT’

Adrian Verrall (Planning Policy Manager)

Nick Churchill (Economic Development Officer)

(C4B Associate’s Conference Presentation)

2 June 2009

Content of Presentation Employment Land

Development Progress

The LDF

Opportunities from the Digital Infrastructure

Opportunities in the Environment Industries

Impact on Land and Property

How C4B can contribute

Employment Land

• Is there anything special about employment land?

• Where are the local employment sites? What is available?

• Little Barton Farm

Progress (1)• Number of sites progressing

through planning process - Lakesview Business Park, (industrial

and offices) - Altira Business Park, Herne Bay

(industrial and offices) - Business Innovation Centre, Canterbury - Estuary View, Whitstable (offices)

Progress (2)- Eddington Nursery / Links site, Herne

Bay (offices and industrial)

- Former BT site, Canterbury (offices)

- Highland Court, Bekesbourne (industrial, warehousing)

- Former Wyevale site (offices)

Role of Council• Positively influence local economy through

planning decisions• Control inappropriate development • Continue to defend existing sites • Where appropriate use its own sites to

promote development/stimulate market • Encourage and facilitate delivery of private

sector development sites• Futures work – ‘knowledge’/’green’ economy

Local Development Framework (LDF) – what is it?

• New LDF replaces the old Local Plan

• Core Strategy sets the overall planning strategy, including employment land

• Council currently preparing Core Strategy for LDF

• Employment land a critical element of the Core Strategy

The LDF & Employment Land

• Employment land also a key priority for C4B • Employment Land Study – market view• Info on demand and supply of property / sites• Future job projections• Search for new employment sites • Transport Study• Consider demand/need of non-employment

“industrial/office” uses (e.g. leisure, automotive sector needs)

LDF – Moving on from the Recession

• Where do we create new jobs in an upturn?

• Need to identify and plan for opportunities in emerging markets/sectors

Opportunities from new digital infrastructure?

• Next Generation Broadband

• Intelligent Transport Systems

• Smart Power Grids

But needs £15 billion investment !

Next Generation Broadband• Seamless

transmission of data including two-way voice and video

Intelligent Transport Systems

• Technology to improve traffic flows (e.g. adaptive traffic signals, real time traffic information

Smart Power Grids

• Revolutionise national power grid

Environmental Industries (1)

• Env industries - One of Govt’s / SEEDA’s key sectors for growth

Environmental Industries (2)• What are they?- water and wastewater

treatment- environmental consultancy

services- environmental monitoring

and instrumentation- air pollution control- renewable energy, and- marine pollution control

Environmental Industries (3)

• 2009 Budget – commits investment in new technologies low carbon energy and advanced green manufacturing

• £405m for the development and deployment of low carbon technologies

• £60m new funding for carbon capture and storage technology, plus £30m

Environmental Industries (4)

• Industries strong in Scandinavia

• USA / South Korea, putting them at the heart of a future global low carbon economy

• In UK may go to Oxford & Cambridge

• What about Canterbury?

The Economic Opportunities

• All have short / long term economic benefits• Could create 1 million jobs in 10 years• Future productivity growth, competitiveness • New micro-business opportunities for people

with professional skills• New business models for existing sectors

such as retail• Structure of local economy could change

Impact on Land and Property

• More complex requirements – but what will buildings of future look like? (low carbon!)

• Maximise use of innovation park• Use residential and redundant buildings

where unoccupied• More flexibility needed - homeworking• Think about new approaches to town

centre development

How C4B Associates can contribute to LDF process

• C4B input - engage in process

• Council will send out needs survey

- Respond to requests for information

- Property/site needs over next 5 years

- Potential new development locations

• Convey needs of non “industrial/ office” uses

Thank you for Listening!