4.1 In order to maintain and improve the economic performance of the District, it is important to make provision for future employment and economic development alongside housing growth and protection of the environment. Economic development includes development within the office uses, industry and warehousing uses, public and community uses, leisure and tourism uses and main town centre uses. It also includes any other development which provides employment opportunities, generates wealth or produces or generates an economic output or product.
4.2 The South West Herts Economic Study (2019) has been used to inform the requirements for land or floorspace for economic development over the plan period. The Study indicates that on the basis of projected growth needs in the area, Three Rivers cannot afford to lose any more employment floorspace. The demand for office space is expected to be met by existing commitments at Croxley Park, but there will be a requirement for further land to be allocated for warehousing and industrial uses. Therefore, there is a need to safeguard existing employment allocations and to allocate further land to meet future need for employment floorspace.
4.3 There is expected to be a demand of 30,100 sqm office space for the period to 2036, which is expected to be met by existing commitments at Croxley Park (Site E(a) in the Site Allocations LDD [adopted 2014]).
4.4 In terms of industrial and warehousing space there is a total requirement for 39,945 sqm which will need to be planned for across the period. However, the capacity of approximately 18,000sqm on the existing Maple Cross/Maple Lodge employment site allocation (Site E(d) in the Site Allocations LDD) reduces the total requirement for industrial and warehousing space to 21,945sqm. This equates to a requirement of 5.5ha employment land to be planned for over the period to 2036.
4.5 Preferred Policy Option 7 in Part 1 of this consultation document seeks to safeguard allocated employment sites for business, industrial and storage or distribution uses whilst also focusing new employment provision on allocated employment sites through intensification and expansion where appropriate.
4.6 The potential employment allocations which are shown below would meet the requirements for employment land over the plan period when combined with existing commitments at Croxley Park and existing spare capacity at Maple Cross/Maple Lodge.
4.7 The preferred site allocations for Warner Bros. Studios (also considered an employment use) are shown in Section 6 of this document.
4.8 Details of sites which have not been taken forward are set out in Appendix 2.
Potential Employment Allocations
| Site Ref. | CFS70a | Site | Croxley Business Park, Hatters Lane, Croxley Green | Size (ha): | 0.4 |
 |
Current Use | Overflow car park (serving employment area) | |||
| Proposed Use | Storage and distribution uses and office uses | ||||
| Green Belt | Yes. If allocated, the Green Belt boundary would have to be revised. | ||||
| Comments The site is proposed as an extension to the existing employment site allocation (Croxley Business Park, Site E(a) in the Site Allocations LDD [adopted 2014]). The site has an existing outline permission for the construction of a storage and distribution building (18/0820/OUT). An 8 metre buffer distance between the main river (adjacent to the western boundary) and any development would be required and no development will be permitted on the area of the site in Flood Zone 3. Development would need to provide suitable mitigation to address surface water flood risk and groundwater flood risk on areas of the site as well as taking account of protected trees on/adjacent to the site. The site is in Groundwater Source Protection Zone 1; a preliminary risk assessment to determine whether there is contamination of the site, and whether remediation works would be needed, would be required at the pre-application stage to support any proposals on the site. |
|||||
Question 67 Do you agree that that Site CFS70a is an appropriate development site for employment uses? If not, please outline your reasons. |
| Site Ref. | CFS70b | Site | Croxley Business Park, Hatters Lane, Croxley Green | Size (ha): | 0.4 |
 |
Current Use | Grassland, compost area, hardstanding | |||
| Proposed Use | Ancillary space to Croxley Green Business Park | ||||
| Green Belt | Yes. If allocated, the Green Belt boundary would have to be revised. | ||||
| Comments The site is proposed as an extension to the existing employment site allocation (Croxley Business Park, Site E(a) in the Site Allocations LDD [adopted 2014]). The site has an existing permission for leisure use to support Croxley Business Park (18/1415/FUL). An 8 metre buffer distance between the main river (adjacent to the eastern boundary) and any development would be required and no development will be permitted on the area of the site in Flood Zone 3b. Development would need to provide suitable mitigation to address surface water flood risk and groundwater flood risk impacting the site. The site is adjacent to a Site of Special Scientific Interest and Local Nature Reserve (Croxley Common Moor) and measures to avoid adverse impacts and enhance biodiversity would need to be provided. |
|||||
Question 68 Do you agree that that Site CFS70b is an appropriate development site for ancillary space to the existing employment allocation? If not, please outline your reasons. |
| Site Ref. | CFS32a | Site | Land at Lynsters Farm, East of Old Uxbridge Road, Maple Cross | Size (ha): | 10.7 |
 |
Current Use | Residential dwelling, agricultural buildings, grassland | |||
| Proposed Use | Industry and warehousing | ||||
| Green Belt | Yes. If allocated, the Green Belt boundary would have to be revised. | ||||
| Comments Development would need to satisfactorily address the varied levels of risk of fluvial, surface water and groundwater flooding present across the site and suitable mitigation would need to be provided. A buffer distance from Flood Zone 3b (located to the south of the site) and any development would also be required. The site is in Groundwater Source Protection Zone 1; a preliminary risk assessment to determine whether there is contamination of the site, and whether remediation works would be needed, would be required at the pre-application stage to support any proposals on the site. Mitigation may also be required to ensure acceptability of the development in terms of odour exposure and amenity of future occupants due to the proximity of Maple Lodge Sewage Treatment Works to the north-east of the site. Development should not adversely impact on the continued operation of the operational waste site at Maple Lodge Sewage Treatment Works. A detailed heritage impact assessment and an archaeological assessment would be required prior to any development in order to protect and mitigate any potential adverse impacts to heritage assets. Development would need to take account of protected trees within the site and due to the adjacent Local Wildlife(s) and Local Nature Reserve, measures to avoid adverse impacts and enhance biodiversity would need to be provided. It should be noted that the whole of the site is not proposed for development and retention of the Grade II Listed building on the site would be required. |
|||||
Question 69 Do you agree that that Site CFS32a is an appropriate development site for employment uses? If not, please outline your reasons. |
4.9 Question 70 is an overarching question relating to all of the potential employment allocations. Details of sites which have not been taken forward are set out in Appendix 2. If your answer to Question 70 refers to a site included in Appendix 2, please state the site reference and site address in your answer. It should be noted that if any of the potential employment sites for allocation are found to no longer be suitable for allocation following this consultation, then replacement employment sites will have to be identified in order to meet the requirement for employment land over the plan period.
Question 70 Do you believe there are more suitable alternative sites to the potential employment sites shown above? If so please provide details. |
Existing Employment Allocations
4.10 There are several existing employment allocations in the District which were allocated in the Site Allocations LDD (adopted 2014) and have remaining capacity for employment use. These sites will be carried forward into the new Local Plan and are shown in Appendix 3.
< Previous | ^ Top | Next >