Viable Placemaking were delighted to assist a fellow planning consultancy regarding the employment needs of their development.
The site had an extensive planning application history, including several temporary permissions for various alternative commercial uses, however the site had returned to its original lawful Use Class B8, storage and distribution.
Following changes introduced by the the Use Class Order amendment in 2020, many commercial uses now fall under the relatively recently introduced Use Class E. As such, this has had a great impact on commercial floorspace uses in England.
Furthermore, the introduction of Class MA "commercial, business and service uses to dwellinghouses" to the GPDO has had an even greater impact on commercial floorspace. Clearly, there is a great balancing act to be played between providing flexible and needed workspace and tackling the housing crisis.
For the site, Viable Placemaking recommended an Employment Needs Assessment was conducted to fully evaluate the demand for the existing and proposed uses in the Council area, to see how the space could be best utilised to meet the needs of the community.
Viable Placemaking have extensive experience navigating commercial and mixed use developments, and are frequently brought in to provide advice on the employment and economic implications of a scheme. Previously, our staff have experience assisting with the employment needs for a variety of developments, including for Enforcement Appeal Inquiries and preparing evidence base documents for Local Plans. Therefore, we are confident that we are able to assist in addressing these matters as part of your planning application.
If you would like to learn more about these reports, or to discuss a development more generally, please don't hesitate to get in touch.