5.1 The economic structure of the Borough has traditionally been reliant upon agriculture and its related industries. This sector of the economy has declined nationally, and although agricultural employment levels in East Yorkshire have stabilised in recent years, the continuing trend is downward. Reforms at the European level are a major element in this trend and it is likely that the high yielding cereal units, which are the dominant farm type in East Yorkshire, will be most susceptible to change.
5.2 This type of change is not new but the rate of change is increasing and will encourage some farmers to look for diversification opportunities to support farm incomes. Government guidance in PPG7 - "The Countryside and the Rural Economy", provides advice on how such changes can be accommodated. Local Plan Policies embrace this advice but ensure that the agricultural potential of the Borough's high quality land is not needlessly lost.
5.3 The local inshore fishing industry has largely escaped the heavy decline experienced by the deep sea fishing industry elsewhere in Humberside. This has helped to support employment in this sector in Bridlington where 'rt adds to the attraction of the town as a tourist resort but the industry remains in a state of decline and measures to protect fish stocks and the imposition of restrictions on smaller vessels could increase the vulnerability of the industry.
5.4 Employment within the tourist economy is inevitably prone to significant and sometimes unpredictable fluctuations, particularly in the coastal areas. National trends towards non traditional forms of tourism provide opportunities to extend the tourist season and lessen the effects of seasonal fluctuations. Policies within the tourism section of the Plan provide guidance on how this could be achieved within East Yorkshire.
5.5 The Humberside Structure Plan places considerable emphasis on the need to provide land for new economic development. Policy E2 of the Plan identifies strategic locations, generally over 20 hectares in size, where new employment land should be provided. Within East Yorkshire Borough, Camaby is identified as such a location, where approximately 45 hectares of land should be made available. In line with this, Carnaby Industrial Estate has seen considerable development since opening in 1972 and planning permission now exists for a major expansion of the estate. Although the scale of this expansion exceeds the guidance given in Structure Plan Policy E2, the principle of further development at this strategic location is recognised and supported by the County Council. The prospects for achieving such development will now be enhanced through recent and proposed highway improvements to the estate, which is within an Assisted Area and also qualifies for Objective 5b funding.
5.6 Elsewhere in the Borough, Policy E3 of the Humberside Structure Plan guides the development of smaller sites for employment uses. The Borough's urban centres of Bridlington, Driffield, Market Weighton and Pocklington are defined as local employment centres, where proposals for industry and commerce which are compatible with their size and character will normally be permitted. In the Borough's selected and non-selected settlements, small-scale industry and commerce are acceptable providing they are compatible with their surroundings and existing services are adequate. Development in the open countryside is not permitted, although the potential to reuse existing buildings for small businesses is supported; providing their impact on the countryside is acceptable. Finally the potential for industrial and commercial developments at disused airfields, for example near Pocklington, Full Sutton and Hutton Cranswick, is recognised. Development is supported where these airfields have not returned substantially to agriculture, where industrial development and essential services already exist, and providing any new development is restricted as far as possible to existing buildings and hardstanding. Particular care is also stressed in relation to proposals for outdoor storage at these airfields.
5.7 Within the terms of Structure Plan Policy E3, the Borough Council has pursued a consistent strategy of creating a supply of employment land where it will best serve the main population centres and .where it is well served by the main road network. Additional allocations are now made in the Local Plan to enable the further development of these sites and to provide the Borough with an extensive choice of employment land capable of meeting future needs. These allocations make good use of existing infrastructure without threatening the character of the countryside or existing settlements. The allocations will also not lead to unnecessary commuting across the Borough as the majority of the population is within a 5 mile radius of an employment site. The following table sets out the existing supply situation on sites with planning permission for further development. Policy EC1 makes provision for additional land to supplement existing permission.
Table: Sites with planning permission for further development
5.8 Additional land allocations are made through Part II of the Plan to supplement this supply. Through the Borough Council's annual economic strategy, the aim will be to identity and remove constraints to development and to improve the prospects of attracting investment.
5.9 Geographically employment patterns within the Borough are split between the 3 Travel to Work areas shown on Figure 2. Parts of the Borough are subject to special incentives for development from the Rural Development Commission, the Government and from the European Community.
5.10 As well as underpinning the employment base of the main population centres, this assistance is important in sustaining rural communities where recent relatively stable trends may conceal more important factors such as the loss of the younger population and the consequent decline in support for rural services such as shops and schools.
5.11 Planning policies provide a framework within which initiatives to improve the long term prospects for secure employment can emerge and are guided by the following objectives:
OBJECTIVES
1. TO ENSURE AN ADEQUATE SUPPLY OF LAND TO MEET THE EMPLOYMENT NEEDS OF THE BOROUGH.
2. TO ENABLE THE BOROUGH TO RESPOND TO NEW DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES WHICH WILL BROADEN THE ECONOMIC BASE.
3.TO ASSIST THE DIVERSIFICATION OF THE RURAL ECONOMY.
4. TO RECOGNISE AND SAFEGUARD THE COUNTRYSIDE AS AN ECONOMIC ASSET.
POLICY EC1 - EMPLOYMENT LAND PROVISION
TO ENSURE THAT SUFFICIENT OPPORTUNITIES REMAIN AVAILABLE FOR MEETING THE EMPLOYMENT NEEDS OF THE BOROUGH, THE FOLLOWING SITES ARE ALLOCATED FOR EMPLOYMENT USES TO SUPPLEMENT EXISTING PROVISION AND PROPOSALS WILL BE PERMITTED WHERE THEY MEET THE DETAILED REQUIREMENTS OF THE PLAN:-
DRIFF7 KELLEYTHORPE, DRIFFIELD 10.4 ha
HUTT3 BEVERLEY ROAD, CRANSWICK 2.2 ha
NAFF4 NEW ROAD, NAFFERTON 0.5 ha
MARKl3 YORK ROAD, MARKET WEIGHTON 10.4 ha
MARKl4 HOLME ROAD, MARKET WEIGHTON 0.7 ha
POCK5 POCKLINGTON AIRFIELD WEST 30.0 ha
POCK6 POCKLINGTON AIRFIELD EAST 9.6 ha
FULL2 FULL SUTTON AIRFIELD 8.5 ha
Justification
5.12 National planning guidance in PPG4 - "Industrial and Commercial Development and Small Firms", requires Local Plans to ensure that sufficient land is available for employment uses which is readily capable of development and well served by infrastructure. The aim is to stimulate economic activity which in EastYorkshire is essential to broaden the economic base and to redress the decline of the agricultural economy.
5.13 The majority of the Borough's employment land is situated on former airfields outside, but accessible to, the main population centres. There are few constraints to the type of development which can be accommodated on these sites, but the nature and scale of proposals will need to take account of Structure Plan Policies which direct proposals of a strategic nature towards specific locations where they can best serve the economy of the County. The scale of some of the allocations made in Policy ECl, especially when compared with the existing supply situation at the same location, is not strictly in line with the strategic framework set by the Structure Plan. However, the further development of these locations is recognised and supported by the County Council, in line with recent Government guidance encouraging the concentration of employment activities in or near the main centres of population. It is important to safeguard the flexibility of the Borough's land resource to ensure that opportunities for attracting business are not lost. Therefore proposals should take account of existing development and the likely impact on the development potential of adjoining land.
POLICY EC2 – LARGE SCALE DEVELOPMENT ON UNALLOCATED SITES
AS AN EXCEPTION TO NORMAL PLANNING POLICIES, PROPOSALS FOR LARGE SCALE PROJECTS WILL BE PERMITTED ON UNALLOCATED SITES ONLY WHERE:
1. THEY WILL GENERATE SUBSTANTIAL EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS; AND
2. THEY CANNOT BE IMPLEMENTED WITHIN DEFINED EMPLOYMENT AREAS; AND
3. THE SITE PROVIDES SUFFICIENT SUITABLE SPACE FOR ANY LIKELY EXPANSION; AND
4. THEY ARE ACCEPTABLE IN TERMS OF PLAN POLICES FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE OPEN COUNTRYSIDE, THE WATER ENVIRONMENT AND NATURE CONSERVATION; AND
5. THEY SATISFY THE PROVISIONS OF POLICY TM4.
Justification
5.14 Although the Structure Plan defines a broad hierarchy of sites which should be capable of accommodating a large proportion of the employment needs of the Borough, Policy E4 of that Plan recognises that very occasionally there may be opportunities to secure a major project which whilst creating substantiai employment could not be accommodated on allocated sites. Policy EC2 defines the criteria which will guide consideration of such exceptional proposals in East Yorkshire.
5.15 Parts of the Borough are of particular significance for the contribution they make to the character and appearance of the landscape or because of their nature conservation importance. Environmental policies in the Plan will therefore be an important consideration. In certain circumstances development proposals could give rise to significant adverse effects which could only fully be evaluated through an Environmental Assessment. The circumstances in which an assessment would be requested, are set out in the Town and Country Planning (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1988 and the Town and Country Planning (Assessment of Environmental Effects (Amendments)) Regulations 1994. Guidance on the preparation of the assessment itself is set out in DoE Circular 1 5188 - Environmental Assessment.
POLICY EC3 - SMALL SCALE DEVELOPMENT ON UNALLOCATED SITES
WITHIN OR ADJOINING THE DEFINED DEVELOPMENT LIMITS OF SETTLEMENTS, PROPOSALS FOR SMALL SCALE NEW EMPLOYMENT USES AND EXTENSIONS TO EXISTING USES WILL BE PERMITTED WHERE, IN TERMS OF THEIR SCALE, DESIGN AND OPERATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS:
1. THEY WOULD NOT CONFLICT WITH ADJOINING USES OR OTHERWISE HARM THE CHARACTER OF THE SURROUNDING AREA; AND
2 THEY WILL NOT PREJUDICE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ALLOCATIONS MADE ON ADJOINING LAND; AND
3. THEY ARE ACCEPTABLE IN TERMS OF PLAN POLICIES FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE OPEN COUNTRYSIDE, THE WATER ENVIRONMENT AND NATURE CONSERVATION. ELSEWHERE PROPOSALS WILL ONLY BE PERMITTED WHERE THEY SATISFY THE ABOVE CRITERIA AND INVOLVE THE RATIONALISATION OR LIMITED EXPANSION OF AN EXISTING EMPLOYMENT USE ON THE SITE, OR SATISFY POLICY EC4.
Justification
5.16 The Local Plan identifies an extensive supply of land for employment development in both quantitative and qualitative terms and this supply is distributed to serve the main population centres. Important though this supply is, it will meet only part of the employment needs of the borough. Many businesses, particularly within the larger settlements, rely upon a very localised catchment population, or provide services which need to be readily accessible. Particularly in Driffield, the number and variety of businesses on small sites in the older part of town are an essential element in the character of the area and maintain the vitality of the town.
5.17 In the rural area, new opportunities to diversify the rural economy are needed. To a large extent, these could be provided through the reuse or conversion of farm buildings but there may be opportunities to secure new development. Policy EC3 would support this within or adjoining villages.
5.18 The Government's policy set out in PPG4 - "Industrial and Commercial Development and Small Firms", is that it is not always necessary to separate industry and commerce from the residential communities they serve and provide employment for. Support for mixed land uses can encourage the reuse of neglected land and can help to reduce unnecessary commuting. Where development serves a purely local market, there may be no need to direct it towards sites located on the primary road network.
5.19 In the smaller, rural settlement, new employment development can bring new life and activities to rural communities and can help to reduce reliance upon the urban centres. PPG7 - "The Countryside and the Rural Economy", provides guidance on the range of opportunities which should be pursued in rural areas.
5.20 Policy EC3 will enable a wide range of opportunities to be realised where they are compatible with the protection of the environment and the character of the Borough settlements. Where proposals are likely to conflict with these objectives it is likely that proposals would be more appropriately located within a defined employment area.
5.21 Many small businesses are started by people working in their own homes, and technological innovations are likely to increase the incidence of home-working. Planning permission is not normally required where the use of part of a dwelling house for business purposes does not change the overall character of the property's use as a single dwelling. Once the business use of the property ceases to be ancillary to its use as a single dwelling, a material change of use for which planning permission is requited is likely to have taken place, and Policy EC3 will apply.
POLICY EC4 - REUSE/ADAPTATION OF BUILDINGS FOR EMPLOYMENT USE
PROPOSALS FOR THE REUSE OR ADAPTATION OF BUILDINGS FOR EMPLOYMENT USES WILL BE PERMITTED WHERE, IN TERMS OF THEIR SCALE, DESIGN AND OPERATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS:
1. ADAPTATION AND USE OF THE BUILDING AND ITS CURTILAGE WOULD NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT THE CHARACTER OF THE SURROUNDING AREA; AND
2. THEY WILL NOT CONFLICT WITH ADJOINING USES; AND
3. THEY WILL NOT BE DETRIMENTAL TO HIGHWAY SAFETY; AND
4. THEY MAKE PROVISION FOR PROTECTING WILDLIFE SPECIES WHERE APPROPRIATE IN ACCORDANCE WITH POLICY EN7l
Justification
5.22 Opportunities for new employment uses can bring new life to rural communities and help to diversity and sustain the rural economy. Changes in farming practices also provide opportunities in the form of disused buildings, often within or in close proximity to settlements. Reuse of these buildings, where the new uses are compatible with their surrounding land uses and in keeping with the character of the area, will help to retain the attraction of the rural areas and assist in broadening the range of employment opportunities available to rural communities.
5.23 To protect the character of the rural areas it is important that buildings retain their rural identity. Therefore new enterprises should consider their likely operational characteristics and requirements for advertising or future expansion. PPG7 - "The Countryside and the Rural Economy", provides guidance on relevant matters which should guide the consideration of development proposals. This recognises the benefits of bringing rural buildings back into use but notes that in some cases there may be objections which can outweigh the advantages of reuse.
5.24 Redundant farm buildings can provide nesting and roosting places for protected species such as barn owls and bats and accordingly, through Policy ENll, the Council will consult English Nature on all applications for conversion. Where the building is known to contain protected species, planning permission will only be granted where the proposal includes satisfactory safeguards for the protected species.
POLICY ECS - HAZARDOUS INSTALLATIONS
PROPOSALS REQUIRING CONSENT FOR THE STORAGE AND USE OF HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES, OR FOR DEVELOPMENT IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SUCH USES, WILL ONLY BE PERMITTED WHERE THEY WOULD NOT GIVE RISE TO AN UNACCEPTABLE RISK TO HUMAN HEALTH OR SAFETY, AND WHERE THEY ARE ACCEPTABLE IN TERMS OF PLAN POLICIES FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE OPEN COUNTRYSIDE, THE WATER ENVIRONMENT AND NATURE CONSERVATION.
Justification
5.25 The Planning (Hazardous Substances) Act 1990 requires that the degree of risk arising from the storage and use of hazardous substances should be taken into account in considering development proposals. The health and Safety Executive provides advice on these matters and the aim is to keep notfiable hazardous installations at a safe distance from housing and other land uses such as caravan sites.
5.26 The Local Plan area currently includes a number of notified sites which impose a constraint on development in their vicinity, but these constraints vary according to the nature and extent of the installation concerned.
PROPOSALS FOR THE OPEN STORAGE OF MATERIALS OR PRODUCTS WILL BE PERMITTED WITHIN DEFINED EMPLOYMENT AREAS WHERE, IN TERMS OF THEIR SCALE, APPEARANCE AND OPERATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS:
1. THEIR VISUAL IMPACT ON THE SURROUNDING AREA CAN BE MINIMISED THROUGH EFFECTIVE BOUNDARY TREATMENT; AND
2. THEY WILL NOT CONFLICT WITH ADJOINING USES. IN ADDITION, PROPOSALS ELSEWHERE WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTABLE WHERE:
3. THEY ARE RESTRICTED AS FAR AS POSSIBLE TO EXISTING BUILDINGS AND HARDSTANDINGS; AND
4. THEY ARE ACCEPTABLE IN TERMS OF PLAN POLICES FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE OPEN COUNTRYSIDE, THE WATER ENVIRONMENT AND NATURE CONSERVATION.
Justification
5.27 The open storage of industrial materials and products can be unsightly or lead to nuisance through noise or smell or dust. These problems need to be taken into account in considering development proposals particularly as much of the Borough's employment land is on former airfield sites which tend to be in the open landscape where they are visible over long distances.
5.28 Wherever possible manufacturing and warehouse operations should take place within buildings where the potential for nuisance can be contained and the appearance of the landscape can be protected. Where this is not practicable it is important that proposals include provision to minimise the effect on the surrounding area.