Replacement Calderdale UDP : Adopted 25 August 2006 (as amended August 2009)

Replacement Calderdale UDP : Adopted 25 August 2006

• Foreword
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Calderdale in Context
• Strategic and Core Part One Policies
• 3 Guiding Principles and Key Themes
• 4 Employment, The Economy, Tourism and Regeneration
  • Background to Economic Policy
  • Primary Employment Areas
  • Employment Development Outside the Primary Employment Areas
  • The Need for New Employment Land
  • The Allocation of New Employment Sites
  • Mixed Use Allocations
  • Safeguarding Employment Land and Buildings
    • The Development of Employment Sites for Non-Employment Uses
  • Office Development
  • Warehouse Development
  • Tourism Attractions and Facilities
  • Rural Diversification
  • Agricultural, Equestrian and Other Animal Based Uses
  • Regeneration of Derelict and Degraded Land and Buildings
  • The Piece Hall
• 5 Housing
• 6 Retailing and Town Centres
• 7 Open Space, Sport and Recreation Facilities
• 8 The Built and Historic Environment
• 9 Transport
• 10 Infrastructure, Education and Community Facilities
• 11 Natural Environment and the Countryside
• 12 Environmental Protection
• 13 Minerals
• 14 Waste Management
• 15 Monitoring and Review of the Plan
• Annex A Privacy, Daylighting and Amenity Space
• Annex B Trees On or Adjacent to Development Sites
• Appendix 1 National Planning Policy
• Appendix 2 National Minerals Policy
• Appendix 3 Supporting Published Documents
• Appendix 4 Glossary of Terms
• Appendix 5 Acronyms and Abbreviations
• Appendix 6 Policy Topic Index
• Appendix 7 Policy Number Comparison
• Appendix 8 Supplementary Maps

Safeguarding Employment Land and Buildings

4.29 The land supply for employment uses, in terms of the range and quality of sites available, is limited and the employment land portfolio is characterised by a distribution of small sites, mainly in urban areas. Wherever possible, the Council will actively work to overcome constraints that prevent the re-use of such land and property for new employment uses.

4.30 Whilst it is important to maintain employment opportunities by making the best and most appropriate use of available land and existing buildings, not all premises will be either in a suitable location or be readily re-usable for modern employment use. Re-use or redevelopment for employment use of some of these premises could never occur. In order to avoid premises remaining idle and becoming derelict with consequential adverse environmental effects the re-use or redevelopment of these particular underused sites and buildings for appropriate other non-employment uses is the most suitable course of action. This re-use and redevelopment will assist in making the best use of urban land, assist the regeneration of urban areas and ease pressures on the countryside and the Green Belt. The approach is tempered by the need to take into account any scarcities of employment land in particular localities and the employment potential of individual sites or buildings.

4.31 In certain cases applicants may seek to demonstrate that there is no demand to use a building/site for employment purposes. Such applications should be accompanied by evidence to demonstrate that the building or site has been adequately advertised on the open market for a reasonable length of time and that the site has been widely advertised, with the asking price reflecting the proposed commercial or business use being marketed. It is envisaged that a minimum of one year in the Lower Valley areas of Halifax, Brighouse, Elland and Sowerby Bridge and a minimum of two years in the Upper Valley areas of Todmorden, Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd will be necessary in most cases. However factors such as the size of the available site and extent/appropriateness of advertising undertaken means that evidence about marketing efforts will be considered on its merits. Applicants may also seek to demonstrate that a site and/or buildings are not economically or physically capable of supporting commercial or business uses. In cases where this cannot be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Council, evidence of marketing the site will usually be necessary.

4.32 Within the Lower Valley areas of Halifax, Brighouse, Elland and Sowerby Bridge there is a reasonable supply of small employment premises and therefore a more flexible approach has been taken towards changes in the use of land and buildings within this area.

4.33 It should be noted that Policy E 5 ‘Safeguarding Employment Land and Buildings’ does not apply to proposals for new retail or leisure uses as these are considered to be acceptable other employment uses provided that they cannot be accommodated within town centres, the development is accessible by good quality public transport, the proposals satisfy the sequential approach and an assessment has been carried out of the need for such developments as laid out in POLICY GS 2 ‘THE LOCATION OF RETAIL AND KEY TOWN CENTRE AND LEISURE USES’, Policy S 1 ‘Sequential Approach for Retail and other Key Town Centre or Leisure Uses’ , Policy S 2 ‘Criteria for Assessing Retail Developments’ and Policy CF 10 ‘Major Leisure/Entertainment Uses’.

4.34 Sites that are allocated as new employment sites will be protected for employment purposes only and development proposals on such sites should not be assessed against Policy E 5 ‘Safeguarding Employment Land and Buildings’ of the plan. The Policy is set out below:-

The Development of Employment Sites for Non-Employment Uses

4.35 The development of sites for non-employment uses, whose current or last use was for employment purposes (Use Classes B1, B2 and B8), will see the loss of such resources for the foreseeable future. In such circumstances it is considered that there still exists an opportunity to make a contribution towards longer-term economic development and job retention and growth within an area. Where a non-employment generating use for a site is proposed, developers may be requested to make provision for an appropriate contribution towards alternative and beneficial economic development in the local area. Such a measure will achieve a direct link between the irretrievable loss of potential employment prospects on the site and the achievement of economic objectives within Calderdale in an area related to the site in question. In cases where proposed uses provide some employment, but clearly do not have the potential to provide the same quantity of employment as the present or last use, the Council may still request a contribution commensurate with the net loss.

4.36 Contributions will be sought on sites that either contribute or have previously contributed to employment provision in Calderdale.

4.37 Where a developer cannot provide an appropriate physical contribution off-site the Council will assist the developer in meeting the needs of continued job creation by accepting a financial contribution in lieu of physical provision to enable the provision and maintenance of local employment generating facilities. Such a commuted sum would be subject to a planning obligation detailing the amount of money to be commuted and what the commuted sum could be used for, or alternatively the developer could make a voluntary payment to the Council.

4.38 Any planning obligation entered into should comply with the requirements of ODPM Circular 05/2005 and funds raised will only be used in a location within the immediate locality of the funding development where it should be of direct benefit to the area. The level of commuted sum should be fairly and reasonably related in scale and kind to the loss of jobs and/or employment area/floorspace, taking into account the total level of financial contributions that the development incurs (such as contributions towards highway improvements, affordable housing, open space provision and education facilities) and any other abnormal site costs. In order to provide a framework for this matter the following Policy will apply:-

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