5.1 National policy requires councils to positively and proactively encourage sustainable economic growth. It requires authorities to plan for the needs of land for development and identify sites to meet needs over the plan period. Policies should be flexible enough to respond to accommodate needs that arise but were not anticipated.
5.2 For some types of very specific commercial use, the Council cannot anticipate whether such uses are likely to come forward within the plan period in the Borough. Accordingly, it is appropriate to provide for such uses on a case-by-case basis, with a policy that provides criteria for acceptance, rather than attempt to allocate sites.
5.3 Planning law groups different types of commercial (and other) uses into use classes, whereby use of land or buildings for any type of use described by the class is deemed to be the same, and does not require application for change of use.
Strategic Employment Sites
5.4 Fylde is home to three strategic industrial sites which are of national or regional importance. These are:
- BAE Systems at Warton, including areas designated as the Lancashire Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing Enterprise Zone (along with the site at Samlesbury, east of Preston);
- Westinghouse Springfields at Salwick, a nuclear reprocessing facility; and
- Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone, in Squires Gate, St. Annes.
5.5 These three sites have need for particular controls on the type of development to be permitted at each. It is therefore proposed that specific policies should be included to reflect such considerations. The current Local Plan carries policies for the two Enterprise Zones but not for Springfields.
5.6 At BAE Systems, a Local Development Order provides for development without express planning permission of certain types and within set dimensions, where the development is for particular types of business that align with the aims of the Enterprise Zone and are compatible with location within the secure site.
5.7 At Springfields, the site is controlled by specific legislation and any development will again need to be compatible with the other activity at the site.
5.8 At Blackpool Airport, the site is being developed by the site owner following a Masterplan for the site, having regard to maintaining ongoing aviation use.
Q23. Do you agree that there should be specific policies in the Local Plan that identify and support the appropriate types of development on the three sites? Please give any views as to what you think the policies should cover.
Q24. Are there other major sites in the Borough for which similar policies are needed? If so, please explain.
Employment Land
5.9 This element covers land used for offices, light industry, general industry, and storage/distribution. The Council monitors the take-up of land for these uses in its Business and Industrial Land Schedule. It also monitors losses of existing land and buildings in these uses.
5.10 The current Local Plan allocated 62.0 ha of employment land based on the findings of the previous employment land study of 2012. The Local Plan provides within this for the allocation of 14 ha of employment land to meet unmet need within Blackpool.
5.11 The Council has commissioned evidence on the need for employment land over the plan period, jointly with the other Fylde Coast Authorities. The result is the Fylde Coast Economic Needs Update and Employment Land Review (the ELR). This document provides a comprehensive assessment of existing sites, and projections of need for the period to 2042.
5.12 The current Local Plan policy EC1 allocates 11 sites (including some on mixed-use sites) to make up the 62.0 ha requirement. The ELR has reviewed the elements of these sites that remain to be taken up in order to assess the realistic supply of employment land. It concludes that in all but one case (Naze Lane, Freckleton), these should be taken forward as allocations for employment in the new/updated Local Plan.
5.13 Policy EC1 also lists existing established employment sites to which it gives specific protection. The ELR has reviewed these sites and concluded that 33 of 35 sites should remain protected in the new plan for employment uses. Of ten additional sites shown on the policies map but not in the plan text, the ELR recommended that four are not taken forward.
5.14 The ELR establishes a need for 28.68 ha of employment land in the period to 2042. The study identifies a realistic supply of 56.61 ha made up of existing allocated and committed sites. Accordingly, the Council will not need to make additional allocations in the new/updated plan.
5.15 The ELR included a review of the current market for employment sites in the Borough. It found that the great majority of interest and take-up was for small units, below 500m². Whitehills was the location in Fylde where most transactions had occurred. The office market had become much weaker since 2020. Marketed stock of industrial land in Fylde represented less than a year’s supply by premises numbers and 8 months supply by floorspace. Valuation Office Agency showed 97.9% of units were occupied; the study indicated that over 90% indicated a healthy market. This occupancy rate suggests a shortage and that businesses may have difficulty finding adequate space to meet needs.
Q25. Do you think the Council should:
- Continue with the existing sites allocated in the current Local Plan (except Naze Lane, Freckleton) and roll the residual land on these forward to cover the period to 2042; or
- Identify new allocations for employment land; or
- A mixture of the options above
Q26. Please add any further comments you have about allocations of employment land.
Q27. Do you support the protection of the existing employment areas (industrial estates and office parks) from redevelopment for other uses?
Q28. Do you have any other comments about how the new Local Plan should provide for employment land needs?
