Stroud District Employment Land Study Report Findings and Recommendations Presentation

1. Stroud District Employment Land Study Report Findings and Recommendations Presentation 6th February 2013 Peter Crompton Director of Regeneration & Planning, BE Group

2. STUDY AIMS • Assess District’s economy • Review scale and distribution of employment land and premises • Review economic growth forecasts to 2031 • Identify employment land and premises requires by scale, sector, nature to 2031 • Make policy recommendations

3. EXPLANATIONS • Policy Off and Policy On • Sustainable Urban Extension • Javelin Park • Solus Sites • Non B Class Use Employment • Key Employment Sites

4. STRATEGIC ECONOMIC OVERVIEW • Prosperous economy emerging out of recession ahead of others • High resident employment rates • Highly qualified resident population • Residence-based earnings above average • BUT • A vulnerable dual economy and economic structure

5. SECTOR GROWTH BY BROAD SECTOR GROUP

6. KEY EMPLOYMENT SUB-SECTORS IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING

7. KEY EMPLOYMENT SUB-SECTORS IN ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES

8. SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILE FINDINGS • 5,800 + VAT registered businesses • Micro-businesses share – 85 percent • Small businesses share – 12 percent • Affluent area, limited deprivation • Net exporter of labour • Public sector is largest jobs source

9. PROPERTY MARKET ASSESSMENT • Industrial strength – office weakness • Three key geographic market areas: • Hardwicke • Stonehouse • Stroud Valleys • M5 junctions meet sub-regional/ modern space demand • Stroud Valleys – business incubator and grow-on locations for local start ups

10. PROPERTY MARKET ASSESSMENT • Industrial demand greatest for large units (2,001-5,000 sqm) • Few good quality industrial premises available • Freehold demand but leasehold supply • 6.5 percent of industrial floorspace vacant – suggests undersupply • Stonehouse Park – only modern offices • 8.8 percent of office floorspace vacant – suggests oversupply BUT ….

11. CURRENT LAND SUPPLY • Headline figure – 57.91 ha (24 sites) • Bias towards small sites • Over half (31 ha) is at Sharpness and Cam/Dursley • 43 percent of land (one third of sites) constrained • Industrial/warehousing use dominates. Only 3 percent specifically suited to offices • No immediately available land but 59 percent could be in medium term

12. EXISTING EMPLOYMENT AREAS • 44 Employment Areas and 362 ha • 46 ha remains available across 7 sites • 39 ha considered appropriate for regeneration/remodelling across 8 locations • 11 sites identified as Key Employment Sites (NPPF related)

13. ECONOMIC KEY ISSUES AND PRIORITIES • Sector balance needs to improve to reduce dependence on manufacturing • Business services under-represented • Retention of greater share of highly skilled residents • High spend potential of residents is significant asset • High tech manufacturing and environmental technologies convergence and growth potential • Entrepreneurial District potential

14. FUTURE EMPLOYMENT LAND SUPPLY

15. NON-B USE CLASS EMPLOYMENT

16. RECOMMENDATIONS • Current employment land supply definition – 57.91 ha comprising 12 undeveloped but allocated Policy EM5 sites plus 12 unimplemented planning consents • Allocate a further 36.5 ha for the period 2012-2031 (reflects an market equilibrium rate of 7.5 percent of available floorspace) • Review existing Employment Areas’ Regeneration Opportunities identified by the study • Consider new allocations at Quedgeley East; North of Stroudwater Industrial Estate, Stonehouse; an extended Severn Distribution Park, Sharpness

17. NEW ALLOCATIONS Quedgeley East Extension

18. NEW ALLOCATIONS Stroudwater Industrial Estate Extension

19. NEW ALLOCATIONS Severn Distribution Park Extension

20. RECOMMENDATIONS • Exclude port-related land at Sharpness Docks from the identified employment land supply figure • Eleven key employment sites designated to be safeguarded for B Class Uses and other employment uses: • Quedgeley West • Hunts Grove/Former MoD Site 2, Quedgeley • Stroudwater Industrial Estate, Stonehouse • Stonehouse Park, Stonehouse • Bonds Mill Industrial Estate, Stonehouse • Aston Down, Minchinhampton • Draycott Mill Industrial Estate, Cam • Littlecombe Business Park, Dursley • Severn Distribution Park, Sharpness • Bath Road Industrial Estate, Stroud • Inchbrook Industrial Estate, Nailsworth

21. RECOMMENDATIONS • Adopt a more flexible approach for Policy EM3 Employment Areas plus the 9 additional sites identified to help facilitate a broad range of economic development , i.e. mixed-use developments • Commission research to identify the full scale and location of unused/underused mill floorspace within the District in order to identify constraints/opportunities • Address lack of modern start up office space with associated business support services by examining feasibility of creating business incubator/serviced offices facility within Council property at Ebley Wharf • Seek to set aside small freehold development plots for owner occupiers. Discuss with County Council such provision on part of their land at Stonehouse

22. RECOMMENDATIONS • Adopt the following strategic economic objectives: • Create a resilient, high value employment base, capitalising on high tech manufacturing niches; environmental technologies; nuclear supply chain; digital technologies. Tackle local skills gap and issues of suitable sites/premises • Create a more balanced, sustainable economy by capturing more business services sector activity • Provide a more balanced employment offer, to retain more highly skilled residents that also work in Stroud, and achieve more sustainable travel to work patterns • Capitalise on the District’s distinct environment and strong entrepreneurial culture to create an outstanding area to start and expand businesses • Capture more of the high resident-based income locally by providing a better evening economy, leisure, culture offer • Create a stronger visitor offer to draw in more spend locally