Employment Land Review
As part of the Local Development Framework (LDF) process the Borough of Poole is required to undertake an assessment of employment land, to create an up-to-date portfolio of employment sites within the Borough. The former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), published guidance
which set out how local planning authorities should approach this assessment. The guidance recommends a three stage process:-- Taking stock of the existing situation;
- Creating a picture of future needs and requirements; and
- The identification of a portfolio of new sites.
Employment Land Review - 'Taking stock of the existing situation' (Stage 1)
The principal objective of the Stage 1 process is to provide an assessment of the 'fitness for purpose' of the existing employment land portfolio in order to identify the 'best' employment sites to be retained and protected and the identification of sites that should be released for other uses.
Although aimed primarily at an assessment of the current stock of allocated employment sites, the opportunity was taken to include a range of non-allocated and isolated sites and premises and to review their suitability for continued employment uses, or potential as future employment allocations under the LDF process.
The Stage 1 process resulted in the assessment of a total of 47 allocated, non-allocated and isolated sites and premises. The assessment process is detailed in full in the Stage 1 publication and a preliminary assessment provided on the suitability of sites and premises for employment use.
Initial consultation in respect of Stage 1 has occured in the form of a questionnaire that was posted to 1,200 businesses in Poole as a Survey of Local Businesses, and a Stakeholder Event that took place at Dudsbury Golf Club near Ferndown.
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